The Potential of Story and Fiction

When I first read the The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins as a 10-year-old, I was blown away, though I couldn’t explain why. While watching the movie Interstellar at 13, I was left on the verge of tears, yet I still could not tell you why I got so emotional. A few months later, I watched the movie Wolf Children for the first time, and I finally realized why I was so taken with these works of fiction: it was because a person made them. These stories, although made up, were composed of people’s lived experiences. The thought hit me like a ton of bricks. Like a rock skipping across a pond, this broke apart the comfort of my flat ignorance. This was the realization that changed me: Fiction isn’t fake. Fiction is a real, human experience disguised in a Halloween costume.

Fiction is life that is glorified for entertainment purposes. In simpler terms, I figured out that stories come from reality and truth and, because of that, they can change our perspectives.

But how can stories change our perspectives exactly? Every piece of fiction shows us what could be based on an author’s or an artist’s reimagination of what has been. For example, in The Hunger Games book series, Suzanne Collins tells us a story of what life could look like if people were split apart. Moreover, she teaches us about the power of unity and connection by juxtaposing people’s relationships with a world that is both totally disconnected and physically split apart. With this teaching in mind, an individual might be able to take the events of the story and look at real life from a new perspective. For example, I found that The Hunger Games gave me a better understanding of how groups of people that are united by race, religion, culture, goals, ideals, interests, or favourite singers can be so influential in society. It also explains the rise of cancel culture, when a large number of people stop supporting (i.e., “cancel”) public figures such as politicians and celebrities who say or do things that are believed to be insulting or disrespectful. This is the power of story: it gives us an opportunity to learn about a perspective and then apply that learning in real life.

The belief in the power of storytelling isn’t anything new. In fact, many Indigenous communities in North America believe that the stories you consume directly impact the reality you live for hundreds to thousands of years. In The Power of Story, the Cree author Harold R. Johnson introduces the idea that stories can act like medicine; when they are used properly, the “right dose” will cure illness and disease. However, negative stories can lead to harmful consequences, just like taking the wrong medication or dosage. In many Indigenous communities, Knowledge Keepers—wise individuals who share stories with their communities for the purpose of helping them—are cautious about what stories they tell because it is believed that certain stories can cause great harm, especially those with deeper or darker messages. For instance, a person presently grieving the loss of a loved one would likely not take a story about losing life well. They might be blinded by their feelings and miss the point of the story, or their negative emotions might drive them into a worse state. In another example, many Métis stories contain teachings that pass down knowledge about physical activities like fishing or medicine. They also offer spiritual teachings that instill morals and ethics in Métis communities, affecting how they view the world. For instance, this is a large part of the reason why these groups value nature. Indigenous teachings emphasize the power of story and its importance to our communities and our society.

The power of stories is also important to consider in our tech-driven society where we are constantly consuming media. Short-form content has taken over many people’s lives because of how addictive it is designed to be. A consequence of this is that we overconsume stories, both real and fictitious, and as a result, we become mentally overloaded by all the stories we see. Consequently, we can’t take the time to understand these stories, learn from them, and develop our own perspectives about the world.

Fiction has so much potential, but when people start choosing to scroll rather than read or watch a movie, we lose the ability to think for ourselves. And ironically, we also surrender the ability to choose what we read, see, and learn. After all, our opinions, our moral compasses, and our belief systems are shaped by the media we consume.

However, with the wave of social media addiction, there has also been a wave of awareness that has pushed some people into using “traditional” landline telephones to avoid the distractions of a modern cell phone. Although this example seems unrelated to the power of story, it proves the point perfectly: people listened, watched, or read stories about the growing problem of cell phone addiction; they imagined a possible future being lost to their screens; and the thought of that reality changed their perspective and urged them to live in the moment once again by getting rid of their smartphones. One short film called A Social Life by Kerith Lemon is about a woman fabricating a false online personality and tying her worth to her social media profile. This story also gained popularity for its blunt and honest depiction of living a life ensnared by a phone.

The power of fiction and stories can teach and change people, often for good. The more we read, the greater our ability to apply that fiction in real life. Fiction and non-fiction stories help us connect with other people in our society and prepare us for new situations, and for the future in general.