Suffering, Glory, and the Greatest Story

Photo by Green Chameleon on Unsplash

By Vailyon; used with permission

This is a sort of follow-up post to the previous one I wrote about Pain, Writing, and the Author that includes my further musings on the concept of suffering in stories. A delightful subject, I know. And before I get started, I’ll mention that a lot of this comes from discussions with my roommate on the topic. As I mentioned in the previous post, the main reason people read is to find hope, even in the darkest circumstances (you should just go read it if you haven’t, then come back). The themes of suffering and pain followed by triumph and a “happily ever after” can be seen in many of the great novels. Said hero is well on his way to defeating the villain (or maybe not), then boom, the Black Moment hits. The map they were following burns up. The mentor character who was guiding them is slaughtered in a massive battle. The hero loses some ability that was crucial to the defeat of the villain. The possibilities are endless, and all hope is lost, crushed by the forces of darkness. And yet, somehow, through everything, the hero still gets up, pushes on, and despite the overwhelming power of the enemy, defeats the villain and is triumphant over the forces of darkness.

Sounds like an amazing story. A page turner. But have you ever stopped to consider why this is the case?  Let me tell it another way. Perhaps you’ll recognize this story. It begins with a loving ruler and his subjects. He regularly walks among them, talks with them, and yet, one day, the villain arrives in the kingdom, promising a better way. In reality, however, he captures the citizens of the kingdom, enslaving them under his rule. For many years, the villain holds many under his sway. Suddenly, the hero appears, declaring that he has come to overthrow the villain and free the populace. His quest is going incredible. In his first encounter with the villain, he defeats him soundly. Crowds flock to him; an inner circle of allies forms about him, ready to defend against anything. He’s well on the way to defeating the villain.  The hero sets out to make war on the enemy, moving in towards the fortress. But suddenly, things begin to spin out of control.

As the true power of the villain is revealed, the crowds begin to fall away in fear. One of the allies betrays the group, won over to the enemy’s side. The hero is captured by the villain’s henchmen, and his inner band of allies flee in fear of the power, despite their claims to remain faithful. The villain pulls out all the stops and reveals his most powerful weapon, then, after brutally torturing our hero and hanging him out for all to see, employs the weapon. The hero, in anguish, dies. The crowds are frightened back into submission. The band of allies go into hiding, unable to believe what they’ve seen. The blackest of all black moments is upon them. The villain has won. But. But. In spite of the villain’s victory. In fact, to spite the villain’s victory, something incredible occurs. Three days after the brutal defeat, in the darkness of a tomb, our hero takes a breath. And then another. The enemy had subjected him to the worst possible weapon, and yet, in that weapon of death, our Hero defeated the enemy and brought life and freedom to anyone who trusts in His work.

Yes, yes, I did just recount the tale of Christ. And what’s better: It’s not over. In the end, Satan will be totally defeated, Christ will rule over everything to the glory of God the Father, and all pain, suffering, tears, and hurting will be wiped away, and we will share in the glory of Christ if we trust in His saving work on our behalf. 

But what does this have to do with storytelling? Why did I recount the greater Biblical narrative to you? It’s because I think that ingrained in each of us is a desire to hear this story. To see this story played out. It’s when we see pieces of this story elsewhere that we say, “Wow, that was a great story.” Think about it. What novel has a worse Black Moment? And what novel has a better climactic defeat of the villain? Going back to my previous post, I would argue that the reason the resurrection is so glorious is because of the horror of the pain and suffering of the cross and the hopelessness of the disciples. The darkness of the Black Moment makes the victory so much brighter.

So, cool connection, but is it applicable beyond, “oh, that’s cool”?  I think that it is, on a few points. 

One, this is something to keep in mind as we write our novels. While what we’re writing may not have a specific “God” figure or “Christian” religion (especially in fantasy), we can still reflect Biblical principles and themes, even in the overarching structure of the story. We can use our novels to tune readers towards the Biblical narrative of the world, even without ever directly mentioning Christianity or being “preachy.” 

Secondly, I think it has practical applications beyond that of story writing. To those of my brothers and sisters who know Christ, we can have this in view when we witness to others. The gospel is not simply “Jesus died for your sins so you wouldn’t have to go to Hell.” It is a beautiful narrative of redemption, starting all the way back in Eden and flowing through the whole of Scripture. Perhaps someone who might not normally listen would stop to hear a story. 

Thirdly and finally, going back to my original post, we should keep this in mind when writing painful scenes where our characters suffer. Remember that suffering should, save for the case of a tragedy, always lead to glory in a triumph over the villain.

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…Ingrained in each of us is a desire to hear this story. To see this story played out. It’s when we see pieces of this story elsewhere that we say, “Wow, that was a great story.”

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