I’m aware that a lot of people aren’t going to agree with my post- I’ve already met people who disagree. But please bear with me.
Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Hunger Games, and the Door Within trilogy- I read and have watched all of these at some point in my life, and *gasp* I enjoyed them! I found valuable lessons in all of them! Surprising right!?
I draw inspiration for my stories from what I read- so yes, you could call what I write “dark.” It has magic, and gruesome creatures, death, and broken characters (actually, I haven’t quite reached that emotional trauma of broken characters yet, but I’m learning).
I can imagine people reading this and being confused on why I would find such things good or enjoyable.
Before I explain anything, here is the definition of “dark.” With little or no light. There. Are you satisfied? Well, I’m not. I’m a word freak, bear with me as I display the definition of the polar opposite: light. Having a considerable or sufficient amount of natural light. Since we’re talking of dark in a spiritual sense, it’s only fair to speak of light in the same terms. Natural light, therefore, can only have one true definition and symbol, which would be Jesus Christ. Darkness is obviously our hearts- the hearts of man. It drags all the way back to the Garden of Eden, where Adam and Eve sinned, and were separated from God. Their hearts turned black, and dark- no light could be let in, and there could be no darkness in light.
So, there is the establishment of “dark” for the moment. “Dark” is not the common belief of heavy subjects such as murder, magic, and battles. “Darkness,” by definition, is the complete lack of light- no good in it, whatsoever.
Now, another common belief among Christians (at least from what I have witnessed), is that every secular book is completely dark, they have no light in them at all. Which brings me back the two series I mentioned earlier- The Hunger Games, and Harry Potter. These two popular series are always up for debate, whether they have dark themes, light themes, or if maybe they are just hollow with no deeper meaning to them. From the definitions we set up earlier, neither of these books are dark. That being said, they are not Christian books, and therefore have no natural light to them. That doesn’t mean however that they are completely lost in beautiful biblical themes though. That’s right. I just said Harry Potter and The Hunger Games has biblical themes. I can imagine some of you being completely revolted by now.
In order to explain this belief though, I need to explain another concept- be back in a moment (sorry for jumping around so much).
Step back from the cute little bible stories you know, and the hopeful story layering beneath it, and look at the bible as simply a book and a story. The bible is probably the “darkest (by common definition)” book in the universe- if you look at it as just a story, not something to believe in. The reason it is such a light filled book, is obviously because of Christ. Jesus Christ, God, the crucifixion, and the rising is what makes it a book that makes us find peace and hope in it- and the fact that it’s true makes it so much sweeter. But my point is, we are all dark, but Jesus’ redemption, and hope- His light- floods out the darkness once we’ve accepted it.
The darkness and the light is always in battle inside of us, therefore we relate to characters who are always in the darkness, who are being seeked by redemption, but runs from it instead. I don’t think many people are going to like me at this moment, but I am saying that a lot (not all) of books in the Christian market display perfect people who never battle with evil, they always know exactly what to do, and do it with ease. The only problem is now to get past the horrible bad guys who don’t believe in God- preaching to them along the way also. Yeah, that’s a good book, I guess. People look at it longingly, and think, I wish I didn’t have problems, like them. No, this isn’t relatable.
Characters who battle with the darkness, who have suicidal thoughts, going through depression, angry at God since they were little children. This is what we can relate to, not the other stuff.
We want stories of characters battling the darkness in them, then coming out in faith of hope and redemption.
Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops. Matthew 10:27
This is where I mention The Hunger Games and Harry Potter once again. The Hunger Games series is about a girl dealing and battling with her beliefs of self sacrifice, death, life, and murder. And coming out in the end, still battling with these things- and the traumatic experiences she has witnessed- but now seeking out love, hope, and peace.
Harry Potter is a story of an abused boy, hopeless, and sure he’s worthless. Then he is told he’s so much more than that. But he still deals with his past insecurities, piled on with new ones. He deals with hopelessness, self sacrifice, doubts of importance, death, love, friendship, overwhelming burdens, and bravery. And in the end, he still faces those things, but with hope, and bravery- with loads of other qualities learned and still battled- he can make the right decision.
Those battles and endings, we can all relate too, we can’t relate to the typical Christian characters and stories- I’m sorry.
"I write entirely to find out what I'm thinking, what I'm looking at, what I see and what it means. What I want and what I fear." -Joan Didion
When you pick up a book, you pick up part of an author’s soul. They spent hours preparing this book for your enjoyment, and cried tears over the hard work. But they never just write it for the reader. They write to discover. As I write, I discover bits and pieces of my soul and my beliefs. My battles are battled in my story. I don’t know anything until I write it down. My hands reveal words of my mind, and battles of my heart I didn’t know about before.
So, yes. I am a Christian, and I am a writer who writes about “dark” things, but in order to examine my mind, and help others to examine their’s.
“For real love brings pain. Real love means sacrifices and hurts and all the thousand shocks of life. But it also means beauty, true beauty.” -Moonblood
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