"Life is no fairy tale," people say, meaning there is a dearth of happy endings. But that last traditional line, "And then they lived happily ever after," is not what the story is about. In most fairy tales there are terrible perils and ordeals. The hero is often the victim of bullying and malevolence and must discover both internal and external resources in order to survive and ultimately triumph.
In many stories there are three sons or three daughters who, in turn, set off into the world to seek their fortune. Before any one of them has gone far, they encounter someone in need, an animal, a beggar, or an old man or woman. The hero is the one who stops to show kindness or to share whatever meager store of food he or she has. Later, in the time of trial, the act of kindness becomes a saving grace, and the animal or old beggar becomes a powerful ally. The bullies, or the ungenerous, generally come to a bad end, though sometimes the former victim chooses to help them and restore them to the human family.
I grew up reading fairy tales and then novels that were inspired by fairy tales. I just missed the chance to read "Harry Potter" to my then-teenaged children, who read the book themselves and now and then read bits out loud to me. Unlike many adults, I never became a Potter aficionado, but it always makes me happy to see children lugging around huge books and losing themselves in long, imaginative stories of children who have to face danger and cruelty with bravery and wit.
I can't help but wonder if lives have actually been saved because of stories, the lasting solace and courage people find in them. And I can't help wondering if lives are being lost because people have no stories or are in the wrong story. Is the despair of victims and misfits more abject because they can't foresee a reversal of fortune, or because they feel bereft of allies, or because they can't conceive of themselves as heroes in disguise? Are the bullies more vicious for having no mirror held up to them, no warning of the consequences of cruelty to character and fate?
We are living in harsh times where fear and insecurity are increasing our human tendency to scapegoat and bully. The Internet, which, like any tool, can be used for good or evil, has made it easier for people to be cruel anonymously and for the acts of cruelty to be more indelible. It's bad enough to be taunted on the playground or in the cafeteria, but when cruelty can go viral, the victim must feel even more helpless, even more without a refuge. It should be noted that while anyone can be a victim for any reason, hatred of gay men and boys seems to be particularly virulent of late.
There is no one antidote to bullying. Schools are definitely on the front line of response, and my heart goes out to parents who must navigate the complex and treacherous worlds of social media. One of the most moving responses to the targeting of gay teens is Dan Savage's It Gets Better Project, which features older gay and lesbian people telling their own stories of trial and ultimate triumph. Critics say the project does not go to the root of the problem or address some of the prejudices within the GLBTQ community, but I can imagine these stories acting as lifelines to someone in the midst of what seems like hopeless, endless suffering.
We need to foster a culture of storytelling in schools and in community and religious centers: people of all ages telling stories, of all sexual orientations and ethnic, economic and religious backgrounds. We also need to foster the art of listening to a story, for in hearing another's story we suspend fear and judgment and come to identify with the teller, no matter how different he or she appears to be. We need a curriculum in all schools that approaches literature as the healing art it can be. We need to rediscover stories as a source of courage, resourcefulness and compassion.