Why do we tell
stories in which bad things happen?
There are
two main reasons almost all stories are centered on bad things. The first
reason was hinted at by Professor Johnson when he talked about the experience of
reading a book where everything just goes great. That reason is that stories where
everything goes great are boring. They do not capture our attention; they are
not as fun to read. Human beings enjoy reading about struggles and strife
because they evoke emotions and interest to a much greater extent. When
something goes wrong we worry, we sit on the edge of our seats, and we invest
in the characters because of their struggles. Who wants to read about everything
going great for someone else? Reading about someone’s perfect life, causes
people to either not care about the work they are reading or feel sad about the
current state of their lives in comparison to the perfection in the lives of
their characters. Also a part of the joy people secretly take in reading can be
derived simply from schadenfreude, taking joy in the characters pain.
The
second reason most stories center on bad things is that it is easier to right
about bad things. Happy things are simple and straight forward. It is much
easier to reveal character detail, depth, and personality thought hardship.
Further hardships have many layers that can be talked about, that is to say
there is more to say about hardships than happy events. In books happy times
are often summed up in a page or paragraph where as a sad event make up most of
the books. So not only are bad thing more enjoyable for the audience they are
also easier for the author to write about.
How does mystery drive the story forward?
UFO in Kushiro is a story completely
driven by mystery right from the start. The title itself draws the reader in
with mystery. Where in the story is this UFO going to show up? How will UFOs
make their appearance? I found myself wondering these things right away after
just reading the title. Mystery draws the reading in and builds excitement and
expectation. The main thing is mystery make the reader think and challenges their
imagination. Komura hears about a bear story and then we do not get to hear it
for a while. However when it is first mentioned I wondered what the bear story
was I wanted to know so I kept reading to find out what the bear story was. I
began to imagine possible scenarios in which a bear might appear.
Further, the mystery in UFO in
Kushiro builds up its own air of suspense affecting the very mood of the piece
as mystery permeates every aspect of the story. Why does his wife leave after
seeing the earthquake footage? What is in the package? All of these questions
give the story an atmosphere of questioning misery and apprehension. The
mystery of the story in addition to drawing the reader in gives the story its
own unique feel.
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