“Fiction reveals truths that really obscures”. ~ Jessamyn West
To what extent do you believe this sentence to be true? Can books reveal the truth of our world?
We live in a world where some things aren’t directly said. Sometimes we don’t feel comfortable sharing the truth. We don’t reveal what we truly feel about someone. One of the rare places we see the truth is books. In books, we can find the unexpected truth and we can’t run away from it.
Firstly, the reality is not always easy to find because truth has consequences. People can lose their friends or jobs even many other things for being honest. That’s because truth is not always easy to deal with and people react negatively. However, when reading a book we can see the truth being told by others. This gives the reader a chance to see the different consequences of being honest. In books we see completely different characters who are somehow alike us in some ways. That way, we can reveal the truths of ourselves with a book.
Secondly, imagination has been the key to find new things and developing. Everything that can be imagined can come true. Fiction writing doesn’t always come from reality; it certainly comes from imagination as well. Hundreds of truths can be revealed by fiction writings. One of the easiest examples we can give are fairytales. They are all fiction, but they all teach children something. They help us understand the real sides of life. Little Red Riding Hood talks to a stranger and suffers the consequences. Snow White is blessed for helping people without expecting anything in return. These are obscured truths for children. When we grow up and the format of what we read changes, our understanding of “simple truths” changes as well. Fairytales teach us the simple truths. Just because we don’t say them out loud everyday and emphasize their importance, doesn’t mean they are less vital.
Thirdly, fiction writings are inspired by true events. There is always some truth behind them and we can’t ignore it. That’s why fiction writing helps us see the truth behind an event or a person. “The Great Gatsby” for example, is a fiction novel. However it’s based on the 1920’s America, when people had the American Dream. After reading and analyzing the book, all the characters teach us something and it give us a clue of how people used to be back then. “Death of a Salesman” by Arthur Miller does the same thing for 1940’s.
Lastly, just like Jessamyn West says, “Fiction reveals the truth that really obscures” because it has the imagination, courage and honesty some people don’t always have.
