Hello all! If you have read any of my previous posts you have noticed that I am a shallow story snob. If you didn't know that now you do. Now that you are properly warned, let's talk about a story's message.
I bring up this topic because of MovieBob's thoughts on the conclusion of Bioshock Infinite, and how there are some out there who find the ending silly and of poor quality. I am not going to tell you that I agree or disagree with either conclusion. Rather, I am going to discuss how this is a grand example of how message can elevate a story in some people's eyes and damn it in others.
Time for a loosely related tangent!!! (you know you are excited)
When I was in highschool we read a little story titled "The Old Man and the Sea." If you haven't read this story here is the short version of it: It is about an old man out on the sea. Here is the slightly less short version: It is about an old man struggling to catch a fish on the sea. After reading the story, the teacher asked everyone, "Okay, now what does it mean?" Will a friend of mine absolutely loved the story and wanted to share his thoughts on it. He said something along the lines of "It shows how life is a struggle, and that although it is sometimes difficult and hard it also has a great deal of beauty in it." The teacher then basically told this enthusiastic young reader, "nope, it's about religion and stuff." She continued to explain how this was so and pointed out the Christian imagery used throughout the story. Note: The teacher was largely right. Sadly, this "revolution" ruined the story for my friend. Every time he tried to read "The Old man and the Sea" all he could think about was Jesus and stuff (which isn't a bad thing to think about IMO, but it jarred him out of the story). He was unable to really enjoy the story because the message was buried in his mind like an uncomfortable thorn (as opposed to a comfy thorn).
However, I also had a second friend (2 friends? oh yeah I'm bragging!) who hated "The Old Man and the Sea" at first. However, after discussing what it "meant" he fell in love with the tale. He reread it and reveled in the symbolism saying things like, "Man it was so cool how he (Hemingway) did that thing to symbolize that stuff!" (I assume that is what he said I wasn't really paying attention). Anyway, he loved looking at the mechanics of the story and how it all played into the message itself.
So what the hell does this have to do with a darn thing? Well Bioshock Infinite is filled with messages about old school 'Merica (thank you JeremyJahns). It's ending also has a good deal to say (At least I think it does). However, sometimes this message gets in the way of the actually story, and causes people to either think things like "What does this character symbolize?" or "Why would he do that? This is dumb!" This causes a divide among the audience. For some, being jarred out of the story into the real world blows, "How can I immerse myself when I am constantly being pulled out of the story by the bloody message?" For others, the message adds a new element and is an achievement to marvel at, "Wow! I love how all this craziness ties into the message in such a clever and glorious way!"
My point is that perhaps neither is right or wrong. Perhaps it is all a matter of taste. Perhaps both story and message have their merits. For example, "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison is full to bursting with message and symbolism to the point that the story is almost an afterthought. Where as "Oedipus the King" is almost purely for entertainment with little to no allegory. However, both are considered to be one of the 100 greatest books of all time according to the Norwegian Book Club. And if we can't trust them then who can we trust?
Thank you for your time.
I bring up this topic because of MovieBob's thoughts on the conclusion of Bioshock Infinite, and how there are some out there who find the ending silly and of poor quality. I am not going to tell you that I agree or disagree with either conclusion. Rather, I am going to discuss how this is a grand example of how message can elevate a story in some people's eyes and damn it in others.
Time for a loosely related tangent!!! (you know you are excited)
When I was in highschool we read a little story titled "The Old Man and the Sea." If you haven't read this story here is the short version of it: It is about an old man out on the sea. Here is the slightly less short version: It is about an old man struggling to catch a fish on the sea. After reading the story, the teacher asked everyone, "Okay, now what does it mean?" Will a friend of mine absolutely loved the story and wanted to share his thoughts on it. He said something along the lines of "It shows how life is a struggle, and that although it is sometimes difficult and hard it also has a great deal of beauty in it." The teacher then basically told this enthusiastic young reader, "nope, it's about religion and stuff." She continued to explain how this was so and pointed out the Christian imagery used throughout the story. Note: The teacher was largely right. Sadly, this "revolution" ruined the story for my friend. Every time he tried to read "The Old man and the Sea" all he could think about was Jesus and stuff (which isn't a bad thing to think about IMO, but it jarred him out of the story). He was unable to really enjoy the story because the message was buried in his mind like an uncomfortable thorn (as opposed to a comfy thorn).
However, I also had a second friend (2 friends? oh yeah I'm bragging!) who hated "The Old Man and the Sea" at first. However, after discussing what it "meant" he fell in love with the tale. He reread it and reveled in the symbolism saying things like, "Man it was so cool how he (Hemingway) did that thing to symbolize that stuff!" (I assume that is what he said I wasn't really paying attention). Anyway, he loved looking at the mechanics of the story and how it all played into the message itself.
So what the hell does this have to do with a darn thing? Well Bioshock Infinite is filled with messages about old school 'Merica (thank you JeremyJahns). It's ending also has a good deal to say (At least I think it does). However, sometimes this message gets in the way of the actually story, and causes people to either think things like "What does this character symbolize?" or "Why would he do that? This is dumb!" This causes a divide among the audience. For some, being jarred out of the story into the real world blows, "How can I immerse myself when I am constantly being pulled out of the story by the bloody message?" For others, the message adds a new element and is an achievement to marvel at, "Wow! I love how all this craziness ties into the message in such a clever and glorious way!"
My point is that perhaps neither is right or wrong. Perhaps it is all a matter of taste. Perhaps both story and message have their merits. For example, "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison is full to bursting with message and symbolism to the point that the story is almost an afterthought. Where as "Oedipus the King" is almost purely for entertainment with little to no allegory. However, both are considered to be one of the 100 greatest books of all time according to the Norwegian Book Club. And if we can't trust them then who can we trust?
Thank you for your time.
