Stories That Comfort

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“The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.” ~Thomas Paine

“Conflict is drama, and how people deal with conflict shows you the king of people they are.” ~ Stephen Moyer

One of the tenants of good storytelling is to have plenty of conflict for the characters to deal with so that as the story progresses and finally ends, we feel satisfied by the lessons learned.

Great stories make us feel like we’ve been right there by the side of the characters. We see the dangers or relationship traps they might fall into and yell at them to watch out, or whisper to them not to make that choice.

In the most enduring stories, the characters are elevated by facing their fears, healing their wounds, and forgiving themselves and others. That’s on the one hand. On the other are stories like Macbeth or Hamlet, where the main character goes down a dark path and is defeated in the end. But those kinds of stories can teach us important lessons about pursuits that can destroy us. Those however, are not my favorites.

When I choose a book to read, TV series, or movie to watch, I’m looking for a warm feeling at the end. Life is hard enough. I’m not interested in seeing society destroyed, or a huge body count and then the “hero” going off to continue his or her quest for death and destruction. I quit watching or reading stories where the characters are going on a downward spiral. 

I recently read the second book, Under the Pawpaw Trees, in a series by my latest Story-Power guest, Cheryl King so we can record a new conversation about it for my Patreon Community. Her first novel is titled, Sitting on Top of the World. The stories take place during The Great Depression and begin when main character June Baker is 12 years old. Everyone in her small Tennessee town struggles, but through the two books June is beset by tragedy after tragedy that she must find a way to deal with.

I read Sitting on Top of the World while the pandemic was still grinding on and the world Cheryl created for June and her family to live in felt so familiar. Everyone in the book was affected by the difficult economic times and some of them had to risk their lives to try to help their families survive. 

In book two, Under the Pawpaw Trees, June is now 15 going on 16 and grieving the losses forced upon her by the continuation of the Depression. In her mind the tragedies that have happened can be placed at the feet of one man, someone who helped her in book one. However, she discovered he wasn’t who she thought he was. So in book two she’s out for revenge. But June discovers that what she thought was true, isn’t. She gains a new perspective that allows her to forgive. 

After finishing this second book, I didn’t feel like starting another one. I wanted to think about June and all she’d gone through as the two stories unfolded and how Cheryl King turned the ending to something satisfying and heartwarming. I wanted to hold onto that great feeling for as long as I could. Even though the pandemic is winding down now, we’re all still experiencing upheaval in our societies. And, I don’t know about you, but most of the people I know are feeling anxious, so anything that can alleviate that is a good thing.

What kinds of stories speak to you or are your favorites and why? I’d love to start a discussion about what you enjoy and learn from stories.

Have a wonderful weekend. If you live in the Northern Hemisphere, stay cool.

Blessings,

Lucinda Sage-Midgorden

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I’m so passionate about stories and what I can learn from them that I created the Story-Power podcast and Patreon communities so I’d have an excuse to talk story. You may have seen my Story-Power posts here. If you’re passionate about stories too, and want to talk about your favorites, come join me at patreon.com/StoryPower.

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