If I’m being honest, I like to be a little afraid of the story.
Epic fantasy stories—where the fate of an entire kingdom is at stake; love stories—when it seems as if those crossed stars will never align; and grand adventures—when I’m praying that my favorite characters will make it home alive, and whole. I yearn for that point in the story when mere curiosity slips into obsession, when I stay up all night with equal portions of fear and hope just to see how it all ends. Case in point: I have never seen The Sixth Sense partly because, long ago, someone spoiled the ending for me. I’m sure it would still be entertaining, but something valuable, something intangible, has been lost. And I can’t see the point in watching a ghost story when I have no real reason to fear the ghosts. Over the years, this love for the fear of the unknown has given me a heap of hesitations and theories about the prequel story.
Many prequels come off as either superfluous or dark—a villain’s descent into madness, a hero’s sad origin—and I find the ones that work best are those set in a completely different generation from the original story or with a more obscure protagonist. To be fair, prequels have a difficult task. If good storytelling relies on the writer’s ability to harness our innate fear of the unknown, then the prequel story must first redefine the unknown, then cause us to fear for it. After all, we already know how the story is going to end. But all of my theories and feelings came into clearer focus while rewatching Disney’s Obi-Wan Kenobi series with my husband.
Though there was something deeply satisfying about seeing Hayden Christensen don the Vader suit with might, though little Leia was feisty and strong, I had no true fear for the main characters. I am well-acquainted with the story George Lucas has written for them, who Leia and Obi-Wan will become. Little Leia’s abductors could taunt and threaten her all they wanted, but even when she is within their clutches, when her parents are worried sick about her, I know that she is safe. This knowledge certainly brings a sense of peace to the viewer, considering Leia is a child in the show, but Kenobi never gave me someone new to fear for, with stakes that kept me up all night just to see how it ends.
As a mother, I have witnessed firsthand the peace that comes with knowing what’s coming next in a story. When watching a new Disney movie with my daughter and we get to “a scary part,” I promise her that everyone will be okay in the end. She then takes a deep breath, sometimes with her eyes poking up over a blanket, and continues on, knowing that she has no reason to fear. But this is not always the case with the books that I read. I often ask myself, when fear of the unknown threatens to overwhelm me in the scariest part of the story, can I trust this author? Do they typically end their books with a happily ever after, or is anything possible? Do my favorite characters usually make it safely to the last page? My fear of the unknown is either amplified or pacified by my knowledge of the author.
Perhaps I have been pondering prequels and stakes more often than usual because someone whom I love very much has been battling a high stakes type of illness, and at times, the fear of the unknown threatens to overwhelm me. So, I do what I often do in the midst of the scariest part of a story: I go back to my relationship with the author. Throughout the many chapters in my life, God has shown me that in the end, though some of my favorite characters may not be there when I reach the last page, I can trust him. He always writes from a heart of love. He weaves beautiful, intricate stories that can span years or generations. He works behind the scenes, even when we think he’s put the pen down. Through it all, we are safe in his hands.
He’s told us that no matter how painful it is along the way, no matter who we end up losing, no matter the stakes, we have nothing to fear. That every tear will be wiped away. That death shall be no more. And there won’t be any more mourning, or crying, or pain (Revelation 21:4). We can go back to the Author and savor the beauty in our stories, even in the midst of the scary parts, because there is now no surprise that remains. We know how it’s going to end. And I just can’t see the point in wasting any more fear on our stories when we’ve been told there’s no reason to fear the ghosts.
- Written for a Glorious Purpose - August 12, 2024
- A Ballad of Prequels and Stakes - January 29, 2024
I loved and related to this article! In a similar way, if I accidentally find out who won Survivor or Big Brother before I have seen the finale of either show, I can’t be bothered to watch the show. My husband reads the end of a book before finishing chapter one. I ask him, “How can you bother to read the book or experience the suspense when you know the ending? ”
Knowing God has my and others lives in his control gives me the hope.
Thank you for sharing your beautifully written words about the basis for my faith!
So thankful we can trust the Master Author with the rest of our story! Love this!
Amen! It’s peace to know the final ending of my story. But it’s exciting to be in a quandary over the stories I read and watch.
Well said!
Jean