Charming VS Tragic: News in America

Could the literature we read be as real as the news?

It is not often that the New York Times publishes stories about cute kitties on their front page. Although the content would be enjoyable and probably lead to happier readers, the modern representation of news in America is completely focused on tragedy. As news agencies claw over our attention, stories seem to be getting increasingly pessimistic. Tales of murders, rape, disasters, terrorist attacks, wars, and poverty swamp our modern news source--whether on tablets or printed papers. Although crucial to society’s understanding of contemporary problems, these news articles don’t provide information to the world on daily positive occurrences. Bleak news columns don’t publish relatable information for an average reader, but rather shocking and dramatized reports. Journalists make it harder for us to experience a positive interpretation of the world. Short stories extracted from American literature similarly paint the world with a pessimistic outlook. Nathaniel Hawthorne's “The Birthmark” and Kate Chopin's "Desiree's Baby" overshadow their potential for positive stories by taking on a negative outlook. By relating these three short stories to more joyful news pieces, the fictional story lines become relatable to an average reader. The three stories contain aspects that suggest that fiction is often similar to happy modern events covered in the news such as stories of improvements in technology for health, independent survival, and acceptance in universities.

Hawthorne’s “The Birthmark” provides a glimpse of a modern society in which science and technology are capable of obtaining powerful results. In a world where technology is increasingly capable of changing health, the achievements seen in Hawthorne’s story prove that there could be a bright future in the medical field. Although the author writes through a pessimistic lens and highlights the death of Georgiana, a further understanding of the story highlights the power of medicine. Aylmer accomplishes a task previously unseen at the time as he was “a man of science, an eminent proficient in every branch of natural philosophy” (Hawthorne). Aylmer dedicated a majority of his life to his profession, and extracted advances in science and technology that were incomparable to what was available in the past. An article published in Sunny Skyz--a news agency dedicated to publishing only positive news--also reports on the power of medicine, but in the 21st century. A blind veteran who served in the U.S. air force for 18 years was given the gift of vision once again through a pair of special glasses. The advances of medicine portrayed here show how technology can change lives. Although the news article does not emphasize the sense of negativity seen in “The Birthmark,” it still demonstrates the power behind our modern medicine. Hawthorne’s short story presents a similar scenario to a seemingly mundane news article, proving that the short story is as realistic as modern news. We don’t need to have obtained great accomplishments in order to relate to fictional literature, it is merely necessary to be inspired by an original life.

Kate Chopin’s short story “Desiree’s Baby” provides a comparison to modern tales of independent women. In this racist and sexist tale, Desiree and her husband Armand find that their baby is part black. Armand, driven by a cynical mindset in which he believes that everything wrong in his life is his wife’s fault, practically kicks Desiree out of the house and “no longer loves her, because of the unconscious injury she had brought upon his home and his name” (Chopin). This plot is interpreted as a tragedy in Desiree’s life, but the reality in context is that she ran away from a misogynistic husband into a better life. The tale is similar to an interview with a 109-year-old woman, who claims she survived this long by eating porridge and staying away from men. The accomplished woman states, “My secret to a long life has been staying away from men. They’re just more trouble than they’re worth” (Sunnyskyz). Jessie Gallan serves as a perfect example for women who do not need the help of a man to lead an accomplished life. In this regard, Desiree walking out on her husband is an act of strength and courage rather than of tragedy. Because of this, the news interview with Jessie Gallan relates to the short story in proving that fictional literature is comparable to real modern events.

The modern representation of news focuses on the tragic and negative, leaving a gap of representation for positive news. A drive for tragedy and drama may be the reason behind why people often do not interpret fiction stories as real. However, a further look into modern events shows that happier news in the world is comparable to fictional literature. Short stories such as “The Birthmark,” “Desiree’s Baby,” and “The Minister’s Black Veil” all relate to common worldly events without a pessimistic perspective. As readers focus more on the negative or unreasonable aspects of a story, their ability to compare the tale with modern events loses power. By relating these same stories with more pleasant articles the similarities between fiction and fact grow tremendously. Whether a story of a small accomplishment in medicine, a strong woman who lived independently, or an increasingly accepting society, these events provide a correlation between literature and real life. Maybe if news outlets provided more positive events the modern obsession with tragedy would evolve into an understanding of the average human life and its similarity of fictional literature.