"A good story never ends; it lives on in the hearts of those who heard it."
--I'm pretty sure someone, somewhere said this. I just don't remember who or where.
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I've been thinking about endings. So many books I've read lately end by wrapping things up--but not so tightly that there is no room for a sequel. Now, I have to admit that I'm not a leave it to the reader type. I want to know how the story ends: did the killer die or not? Did they fall in love or not? Did they ever make it back to earth?.... You get the picture.
But... maybe there is something to be said for leaving some strings left untied. Maybe it is okay for the wrapping to have a few rips and tears where the story could come falling out again. And maybe it is okay to even leave the box open.
I mean, look at real life, I never want the good things to end--completely. I have a terrible time with goodbyes. In fact, if I look back through my life (which is going to be a good 40 years as of this coming Monday!), I can see that I have tried to avoid goodbyes entirely if possible. I've even been know to say see you later to people I've just met, instead of the more likely goodbye. When it isn't possible, I have to write: letters, poems, stories--even novels in some cases!
The better I knew the person, house, pet.... or the longer I was around or in a particular place (college dorms...) the bigger the piece of me that got left behind when we separated and went our own ways. Although I suppose it works the other way as well, and the bigger the piece of that person, experience, or whateve I take with me when I go.
Maybe it is really more like knitting or weaving. The more we are knit together, the harder it is to rip out--and the more likely I am to have totally incorporated part of his/her/its pattern into my own.
Maybe there are no real endings, only new beginnings.
3 comments:
Sarah;
I like and want an ending. The ending of the second (?)Star Wars movie, Lord of the Rings series, The Break Up, etc. left me hangin'. But it's hard to argue with the success of the Harry Potter series endings. I like the finality, knowing the bad guy met his demise or that the couple will go on and live happily ever after. I still believe in fairy tales, that the cowboy and the actress, doctor, etc. can have a life together. I'm a hopeless romantic, but that's the movie era I grew up in. I had the biggest crush on June Allyson when I was around 12 and still like women with husky voices.
In a novel I like when the author pulls all the loose ends together in a neat bundle. I read to be entertained. I don't want to have to work too hard to unravel the story, like a Tale of Two Cities for example. In Centennial, I like the way Mitchner starts at almost prehistory and then weaves all the little clues in along the way. Same with Chesepeake.
I think it's the author's call. Only they know if a sequel is planned or if the story is finished, even though the book might be. At some point, The Lord of the Rings series had to end. Frodo had to succeed or fail. Same with Star Wars.
I understand how after you've poured your heart and soul into a book that it's hard to leave it and say good bye to the characters you've loved or hated and brought to life. But there's something to be said for finding what new adventure lies over the next hill.
Yeah, I tend to want an ending or a story that goes on forever. I mean, when I really like a character, I want to stay in a relationship with him/her forever. Not possible with book(or life for that matter) but hey, I'm just talking about what I want.
I liked Tale of Two Cities and I really wanted to know what happened After with Sam and Frodo and the King and Queen and ..... see? I really want to keep those characters as friends. And I do in a way, because I reread my favorite books again and again. Anne McCaffrey's books, Megan Whalen Turner's books, Chris Crutcher's books.
Sometimes I think that is why people write memoirs. They want to be able to reread in order to stay in a relationship with people.
"Sometimes I think that is why people write memoirs. They want to be able to reread in order to stay in a relationship with people."
Or in a happier time or place. In many ways my childhood was way better than my adulthood. Part is because we have few responsibilities as children. We still believe in dreams and cowboys and Santa Claus. We have heroes and legends, like Paul Bunyan, Robin Hood, Wyatt Earp, Sitting Bull and others. It's a magical time of discovery and growth. I find myself daydreaming of riding a horse or hiking across the country. There's so much to see that I never will. It's the inevitability of things that won't or can't be that triggers our sense of loss.
My favorite trout stream I grew up along is no longer accessible, and even if it was, it has changed beyond recognition. It's better to remember and revisit as it was. The memory will never end, even though the stream, for all practical purposes, has. It's because I discoverd so much about myself--pines moaning in the pre-dawn are sounds to be cherished not feared--how much more freedom comes with a pair of hip boots, patience, an apprecaition for all things that are not fish as well as the spectacularlly painted brook trout.
It's a place I visit often. I can see every submerged log, undercut bank, the huge bolder that diverted the stream and always looked good but never produced a single fish, the butter cups, trillium and adder tongues, aka trout lillies. I can drink in the sweet heavy scent of violets. All I need to do is close my eyes and it's all there as it was.
How do you put all those emotions into a conversation? That's why I write.
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