…But Don’t Let That Stop You From Going to the Movies
“There is nothing new under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 1:9)
“It’s all been done before.” (The Barenaked Ladies)
Only One has ever made anything truly original and new. All stories are mere shadows of His Story. Our best stories mirror aspects of that story: the beauty of creation, the bitterness of the fall, the joy of redemption. Even if a story only captures one of those aspects, it can be beautiful simply because it rings true, however tragic.
Shakespeare himself realized that all the good plots were already taken. What happens in his plays might not be original, but how always is. That gives me hope. A good story matters, even if I already know the ending. And I can let myself off the hook as a writer, since every what I might say has already been taken, I can focus on the how
If you doubt whether this principle is true, think of every movie made in the last ten years. Some have been overt ripoffs. Eragon = Star Wars – Awesome + Dragon. Seriously! If you want a good laugh, follow the plot parallels: farm boy gets secret message from captured princess, the bad guys kill his aunt and uncle, and torch their farm, forcing him to follows a magical mentor who sacrifices his own life when farm boy rescues the princess, so that he can save the day in an epic dogfight. It’s a good thing I love dragons.
Which brings us to Harry Potter. If the what of Harry Potter isn’t original (Matrix + Lord of the Rings + Little Orphan Annie), what’s all the big fuss about? The how! Her plots are page turners, to be sure, but J. K. Rowling’s true success is in her character development.
(Don’t worry. I haven’t read the last book or seen the movie yet, so no spoiler’s here.)
Harry is a complicated guy. He’s a loner, a leader, and a friend, these attributes ever in tension with each other. Orphaned, ostracized by his surrogate family, ever-threatened by the forces of darkness, and untrusted by the media, Harry has always had to fend for himself. He makes independent decisions, which can be impetuous and even rebellious. Harry is unafraid to pursue what he knows to be right, no matter what those in authority say.
Because of this, his peers look to him as their captain in the unseen war against the forces of darkness. Though his anger problem and independence often get in the way, he has developped a loyal cadre.
But it is Harry’s friends who ultimately define him. They are his by chance, by choice, and by that inexplicable magnetism that draws them all together. Quite often, he does not deserve them. But, no matter what, Ron and Hermione stay by his side. Harry is not afraid to cooperate, usually, but his friends make sure to help him even when he doesn’t want it. They would give up their own lives for each other. Since birth, this is a boy who has been protected by love, and that is the most beautiful thing of all.
That is what we really want, isn’t it? To be reminded that life is worth living outside the norms of society, that there is something worth fighting for, and that the love of friends always makes a difference and is always worth dying for? We long to hear a new voice sing that same old truth to a new generation, and that is exactly what J. K. has done. Read on!
Faithfool 