I really enjoyed watching the episode of Supernatural which had a similar plot line to that of the movie Stranger Than Fiction. In both, the main character(s) is actually a character in a fictional work that is being written by a seemingly unrelated second party. The plot toys with the notion that the audience members’ perception of reality is false and they may also be characters in other’s works, but just don’t know it yet.
The twist is clever and relatable to the class because it questions whether or not literature, which is generally considered to be fiction and lies, is actually someone’s reality and truth. In turn, it also questions the character’s reality truth-value. Essentially it asks: Is fiction true or is non-fiction false? With regards to Supernatural, the answer lies in which version of the story you believe: Was Chuck having visions of the lives that Sam and Dean have chosen themselves to live or was Chuck writing out Sam and Dean’s lives that they are destined to follow because he wrote them? Who has the power? Although these questions are specific to the TV show, the answers may reflect philosophical views and personalities. In essence, it comes down to existentialism vs. determinism. Therefore, the answers lie in perspective, which is not reassuring because then there is no ultimate correct response.
Although “Monsters At the End of the Book” succeeded at shedding light on interesting debate topics, it failed at making me wonder about the truthfulness of my own life. From that comment you can tell that I generally consider fiction to be false, or at least an exaggeration of the truth. To me, TV and movies are not real life, but rather an exaggeration of it so that the audience is entertained. Both Supernatural and Stranger Than Fiction integrate a thoughtful plot twist, but I don’t think it is a plausible one. Maybe certain religious followers believe that life is scripted by God, but I am personally an advocate of free will, chance and luck. To a certain extent, I don’t think it really matters whether life is predetermined or not as long as you never find out which is right. Life is your experiences and emotions; whether your decisions have been chosen for you or you choose for yourself, you live those moments and that’s what really counts.
However, if life is someone’s fictional story, thanks for writing me in!
I agree that it doesn't really matter whether everything happens for a reason or not, whether everything is already determined. Like you said, if we don't know that everything is predetermined, it doesn't really make much of a difference.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was younger I did believe that everything happens for a reason, not that we don't have free will, but that the events that occur in our lives have a purpose. To some extent I still believe that everything happens for a reason. Not necessarily because our fate is predetermined, but because our paths are influenced not only by our decisions, but also by the will of others. For example, if I were to get rejected from a job by someone else’s will, there may be a reason that happened. Maybe the next week I’ll get a much better offer and meet someone at that job who will have a huge impact on my life. Fate might not have determined that meeting, but the will of another person may have (inadvertently of course).
But if somehow I did discover that everything I have done/will do has already been decided for me, I'm not sure how I would react. Even though I would know that I was not really making any choices for myself, it would still feel like I was as long as I didn't know the details of what had been determined for me to do. It's quite hard to imagine being in that situation (just like Sam and Dean).
So basically I believe that we have free will, but I also think that some small events in our lives do have a larger purpose. We lead ourselves to these events and the will of other people help to direct them.
"I don’t think it really matters whether life is predetermined or not as long as you never find out which is right."
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with this point. However, it's so much harder to accept that after watching the episode of Supernatural. It makes you think, "what is real?" and "what is false?" And I can't help but wonder if everything that happens in life is some kind of story being written. I feel like now there is no such thing as fiction and reality. They are one in the same.