Literature: The Strand That Unites Us

For my final assignment in my English class last semester, I explored the purposes of literature, eventually settling on literature as a source of empathy. I wrote an essay centered on this purpose, as I reflected on several books I've read that have especially enabled me to understand others' perspectives and experiences. Not only do I think these titles are worth sharing as book recommendations, but I also believe it's valuable to note the techniques the authors utilize in order to inspire empathy in their readers.

The first book I touched on in my essay was The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien. It's both a collection of short stories and a fictional memoir rooted in the traumatic experiences of Vietnam veterans. Prior to reading the book as a summer assignment, I admittedly had low expectations of the novel's impact. I doubted my own ability to relate to and appreciate the suffering of individuals with such startlingly different narratives from my own. Yet O'Brien successfully shatters the barrier between his readers and characters by fusing alien military experiences with universal concepts, such as unrequited love and devastating loss. The following quote from the novel perfectly sums up this idea.

"And in the end, of course, a true war story is never about war. It's about sunlight. It's about the special way that dawn spreads out on a river when you know you must cross the river and march into the mountains and do things you are afraid to do. It's about love and memory. It's about sorrow. It's about sisters who never write back and people who never listen."

As this excerpt demonstrates, the shared emotions O'Brien weaves throughout his storytelling establish closeness between the reader and the characters. Because of this brilliance on O'Brien's part, The Things They Carried became one of the most meaningful books I've ever read, despite the unfamiliar events it documents.

Another novel that profoundly affected me is The Scarlet Letter, a classic by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The story's protagonist, Hester Prynne, is an unconventional heroine, to say the least; she's a seventeenth-century adulteress exiled from her community for her immoral actions. To establish a relationship with this woman stamped 'adulteress', to pity her, to eventually admire her, was the last thing I expected. Yet, through the progression of Hawthorne's flawless writing, Hester evolves throughout the story to become a character not only deserving of sympathy but also praise.

The novel Beloved by Toni Morrison poses an even greater challenge to its readers' empathetic capacities, and in my experience, it ultimately succeeds. SPOILER ALERT: Halfway through the story, it's revealed that Sethe, a primary character, is guilty of murdering several of her children. It may seem unfeasible that a reader could ever understand what could compel a person to commit such an act, yet Morrison develops Sethe into such a complex, relatable character that you can't help but connect to her situation. Morrison eventually discloses Sethe's motivations, explaining that she felt it necessary for her children to die in order to escape slavery. Morrison's passionate use of language allowed me to understand Sethe's thought process, and therefore, I believe Beloved is a testament to literature's power to encourage empathy in even the most foreign circumstances.

What works of literature have inspired empathy in you? Do you agree that understanding others' experiences is the fundamental objective of literature, or can you think of a larger purpose? I'd love to hear your thoughts!