ashlayla, 2/17

“Does reality actually outstrip fiction?” (228)

When we discussed this quote in class, I originally thought that reality does outstrip fiction. I felt that reality was outstripping fiction because, in my opinion, fiction is loosely based on what happens in reality; I felt that fictional books and movies are just building off events that happened. For example, the movie Pearl Harbor. The movie in itself is fictional but is based on real events (the attack on Pearl Harbor). What makes the movie fiction is the love triangle that happens between the characters of Josh Hartnett, Ben Affleck, and Kate Beckinsale. Another example of fiction taking from reality would be Disney. Disney characters are fictional, however the adventures that they go on are loosely based on what has happened in the past. Pocahontas was real and did meet John Smith, but animals and trees don’t talk. Places like “Frontier Land” did exist but (obviously) not with rides like “Splash Mountain” and “Big Thunder Mountain.” Disney has taken reality and turned it into something that’s fictional, but also educational in a fun and unique way.

In class, someone said that they believed fiction actually outstrips reality because fiction is more desirable. This statement made me reevaluate my original opinion on this quote and I have to say that I have changed stances and now believe that fiction really is outstripping reality. We desire fiction because we can lose ourselves in the fictional worlds of Beauty and the Beast or 101 Dalmatians. Fiction is more desirable than reality because we can’t lose ourselves in reality. We will always be a part of reality and we will always be a part of fiction. Fiction, however, is our escape from reality which makes it desirable and we can come and go from our fictional worlds as we please.