One Story??? Please!

In my opinion, the idea that there is only one story is an outrageous claim to make. I would definitely say that there are many stories that have appeared and reappeared on a consistent basis in literature. Yes it is true certain stories have appeared innumerable times, does not give us the right to say that these are the only stories in existence. I feel as if that would be very foolish of us to say.

One reason why we see certain stories repeated over and over is because the problems that are presented are almost always universal. Anyone can relate to them.

For example the story of the hero’s journey appears quite often in literature. One of the reasons for this is that most all those who read these stories have had experiences similar in nature. That is, that they encountered a problem in which they had to face certain situations, and upon facing those situations learned about themselves and finally the problem is resolved. This is a classic example as to why people repeat these stories, because they know that readers and listeners will be able to relate.

Another reason why I believe that it is not safe to say that there is only one story is because, although we as humans may face problems of similar circumstances, we may not all have the same reaction. For example if we continue with the example of the hero’s journey, we may find that some people don’t react exactly the same way to the problems that they encounter. Because of this difference in reaction, an entirely new story is created. In fact there are so many different possible reactions to the story that it can not be just limited to one single story.

Finally I believe that we can not come to the conclusion that there is one story solely based on all of the stories that we have seen or have encountered. It may be true that these particular stories have been repeated over and over, but that does not give us the right to say that these are the only stories. There are so many more people in the world, that have not even been created yet who may have the potential to create an entirely new set of stories for which have no relation to the stories that we have read before. There is so much potential for more stories to be created in the future and we should wait with great expectancy for these to be created.

Blood is an essential element of the Brahm Stoker’s Dracula. It this used in many ways and in many forms. For example the book contains many references to family bloodlines, race, death and even life. Death and life are perhaps the most interesting forms that blood takes. In the novel blood is used a clear representation of death and a clear indication of life as well.

Perhaps one of the most famous references to blood as a life giver is on page 142 when Renfield exclaims, “The blood is life! The blood is life!” in the case of Count Dracula, and all other vampires for that matter, this exclamation holds especially true. In order for vampires to survive they need the blood of some living individual.

What is most interesting however is that in order for the vampires to live, something else must essentially die. Now we have, blood as evidence of death. When we look at all of the descriptions of those who have had blood taken from them, we notice that they are often described as pale and lifeless. The reason for this is that what has been removed extracted from them, voluntarily or involuntarily, was in many ways their life and strength. Once this source of life is removed thenthey will inevitably be weak and without strength.

Why then does Stoker use blood to represent both life and death? Some might say that this is a reference to Christianity and the blood of Christ. It was the blood of Christ that Christians believed purchased their salvation. In Christianity the blood is Jesus. Is used as a purifier and a cleanser from all sins and unrighteousness. With this in mind, how can we also blood as a clear indicator of death in the novel as well. One could perhaps say that Stoker is trying to communicate to readers that the even the life at its purest form has to come from some type of hurt and pain. Perhaps it is a commentary on human happiness and satisfaction and that we can not just have one without the other and that both death and life have to exist on the same plain.

Expectations vs. Reality

What we can gain from the “original story” is of so much more value than all other interpretations thereof. In my opinion the “original story” is far more significant and worth far greater value than all of the adaptations that stem from it.

To illustrate this stance with a practical example, let’s take a look at something that most all of us familiar with: a book. It is often said that a book is much better than a movie or play that succeeds it. The reason this claim is usually made is because, when reading a book, the main tool used to visualize the events that occur is your imagination. The human imagination creates images and portrayals that make the words of the story leap off of the page. The human imagination is limitless and has no boundaries. The problem sometimes arises however when directors try to recreate images and characters from books into film. The problem is, that expectations don’t always meet reality when people go to see these films. For example one of the best books that I read when I was in elementary school was Holes by Louis Satcher. I remember being absolutely captivated by the story line, the twists and turns in the plot and being completely in love with all of the characters. I had already created images in my head of what the each character looked like, what each character sounded like, and how each and every image would appear. Shortly after I read the book, the movie came to theaters and I saw it on opening day. Although I was not completely disappointed with the movie I can remember saying to myself when new characters would appear “That isn’t how I imagined her to be” or when I noticed a particular feature on someone “I thought she would have red hair” or when someone spoke “Why is she talking like that?” The reason that I felt this way was because when I read the book I had set images in my head of all of these things and I expected them to be this way. But they weren’t. Herein lies the central problem with recreating the “original story.” It will never be able to fully reach the outlandish impossible heights of our imaginations.

I do believe that there is a certain hierarchy regarding the value of certain texts. Quite simply put more value should be placed on that which is original. This is because the original holds a certain degree of relativity. It is holds within itself, the author’s true intent, purpose and vision. If for no other reason, this is why the original holds far greater worth. Any other attempted duplication is just that. It is never worth even comparing to the original work.

One story that comes to mind when considering the subject of the “original story” is The Color Purple by Alice Walker. The book received great praise (and still does) when it was first published.

When the movie came to theaters, it was received well also.

Finally when the musical came to Broadway it received standing ovations.

Even after all of these heart warming and note worthy adaptations that only the screen and the broadway stage could bring, I would still rather read the book, the original. Why? Because it is just that. The very definition of the word original is such that one should desire to explore it.

Jack and the Bean Stalk

As I begin to look back at the many stories that I have heard in my childhood, one story in particular stands out to me the most. That is, the story of Jack and the Bean Stalk. If you didn’t know, this classic childhood tale traces the journey of a poor boy named Jack and his mother. One day Jack goes out to town with the family cow in hopes of selling it in return for some sort of compensation to buy him and his mother some food. Instead he comes home to offer his mother several seemingly worthless magic beans. In a fit of rage, Jack’s mother throws the beans out of the window never to be seen again. In the morning however Jack awakens to find a giant beanstalk growing in his backyard. He climbs it and finds that a giant lives at the top of the beanstalk, along with a hen that lays golden eggs. Jack steals the eggs and climbs down the beanstalk. Jack later climbs back up the beanstalk on several other occasions to steal the giant’s golden coins and even his magical harp. After a multitude of successful plunders Jack eventually cuts down the magic beanstalk to escape the giant’s rage. This is how I imagined the story when told it as a child.

One of the main images that stuck out to me as a child was the image of the great beanstalk, upon which the whole story is centered. As a child the idea that magical beans could ever possibly exist to create a giant magical beanstalk and take you high above the clouds where giants dwelt along with magic hens, golden eggs and enchanted harps was all completely enticing to me.

The origins of the story are somewhat unclear, regarding who the writer is or even when the story was created. The earliest known printed edition of this tale can be found in the 1807 book The History of Jack and the Bean Stalk. After further research I noticed that this story told is generally the same. It begins with Jack exchanging a cow for magic beans, then later his mother throwing the beans out of the window and ultimately ends with jack cutting the beanstalk down. There are however, some versions in which, the giant’s wife helps Jack to rob the house, and some more violent versions where Jack kills the angry giant altogether. One reason for such an exclusion of details could simply be for censorship. While parents do enjoy telling their children this story, most (including my own) would not want to expose Jack as the murdering thief that he clearly was. Many of the details, in my opinion, were omitted simply to protect the image of poor innocent Jack , who was simply trying to provide for him and his mother.