When we tell stories we use language as a tool to paint a picture for our audience. Every time that we tell a story we attempt to capture the enormity of the experience for our audience. I use the word “attempt” because I think it is extremely difficult to fully capture the enormity of experience using language, if not impossible. No matter how detailed of a description a storyteller gives, it is unlikely that a reader or listener will feel the same things that the storyteller did in the moments of the experience.
Luttrell’s Lone Survivor provides a great example of this. This piece of creative nonfiction does an excellent job of painting a vivid picture for the reader of what happened on that mountainside. It details the conversations that the men had before and during the firefight. It details Luttrell’s thoughts as he was on that mountainside, as he was rescued, and as he visited the families of his fallen SEAL teammates. I could say that after reading his book I understand what he went through, but I will never be able to fully understand. The enormity of these experiences cannot be entirely captured in words. As I read the book I felt emotion, but I will never be able to feel the same emotions that Luttrell was and to the same degree. I may feel scared or sad or upset as I read the book, but I will never feel as he did in those moments. I will never get the same feeling of my heart pounding or my stomach dropping that he likely felt throughout his experience. While he can explain those feelings to me, I will not be able to feel them too. To say that, yes, language can capture the enormity of experience would be to say that by reading Luttrell’s book I experienced the same heartbreak that he did. That will never be the case. I may experience heartbreak from reading his story, but it will never be on the same level of what he experienced. Within his book Luttrell also talks about the training that he needed to go through to become a SEAL. He devotes a good portion of the beginning of the book to talking about Hell Week. He describes getting wet and sandy. He describes pulling the boats of the rocks. He describes the running and the log workouts. He describes the fatigue. He describes the ringing of the bell as recruits quit. As I read these descriptions I understand that SEAL training is only for the best of the best, but I will never know truly how difficult it is. I will never know what that kind of fatigue feels like. His language is very descriptive during this part of the book, but it is still not able to capture the enormity of the experience.
Even though language cannot capture the enormity of experience, it does serve a purpose. Language attempts to capture that enormity, and it brings the reader as close to the experience as possible. There are many things in the world that each of us individually will not have the opportunity to experience, and for that there is language. There are also probably many things in the world that each of us would not want to experience firsthand, and for that there is also language. I would not have wanted to experience what Marcus Luttrell did during Operation Red Wing, but I was able to read about it through language. I was able to get as close to the experience as I would have wanted to get. I was curious to get a taste of what SEAL training is like. I also got a taste of what it would be like to be in combat, and that is as close as I would like to get to seeing combat. I got a taste of the heartbreak that I would not have wanted to experience fully. Language was able to bring me close to an experience. It was able to give me a view from the outside. It gave me a taste of something that I will never experience, and that is all that I would want in this case.
Every moment of our lives we are experiencing something that can affect us positively or negatively, insignificantly or majorly. Nonetheless, our daily experiences happen, and they are experienced differently by every person. For this reason I agree that there really can only be an attempt to capture the enormity of experience when relaying a story. Most people try everyday by telling stories to their parents, families, and friends, but unless they were actually there it is impossible to capture every detail and emotion. The best writers and critics cannot fully capture and incite all the emotions felt by a certain character. This is not to say they are not good at their jobs; instead it is a challenge that writers have to deal with everyday. Even if in the end they are unsuccessful many writers will strive to explain the situation to the reader, in hopes that the reader will be able to be as close as possible to the enormity of the experience. This is especially true in non-fiction writing like that of Marcus Luttrell in the Lone Survivor.
ReplyDeleteDue to the fact that I love to sit down with a good book, I can understand the feelings that can be evoked by a book. I have laughed, cried, and felt for the author. However, the truth of the matter is that I will never really experience the situation. As you said, Luttrell was able to incite these emotions, but it is to a far lesser extent than we could ever imagine. The Navy SEALS experiences are interesting, but also a situation I will never find myself in. I feel for Marcus as he is telling his story, but there is no way that I would actually come close to his outrageous experiences. I too have lost loved ones, but never to the extent that he has. The way he describes the mountain-side alone is very scary. I give him a lot of credit for being able to put his feelings down on paper and describe to the public the events. Even though I can relate on the basis that I have experienced loss, I have never actually witnessed the murdering of my friends in combat, and it is something I would never actually like to experience. The other aspect you mentioned is that of the SEAL training. I agree with what you have said in all aspects, because I can feel sorry for all of the fatigue that he had to deal with, but I will never actually be there. I will never actually experience such extreme training. Another aspect that Luttrell mentions, but is not able to really show the enormity of experience is with regards to the experience with the Afghani tribe. Although he mentions how confused and scared he was at first, there is no way for the reader, unless actually experiencing Lochay and the events in the tribe, to understand it. Marcus attempts to describe his emotions, but this doesn’t seem like something that is very common. It truly is inspiring that a tribe would help a wounded member of the audience, and I think that Marcus does a good job of explaining it, but the closest I will ever get to the Afghani mountains is through sources like this.
This is why I agree with you that non-fiction writing does serve a very important purpose. Like you said, it allows us to get as close to the experience as possible. Even though I will never experience many things, I am excited that I can get closer to other people’s experiences. It is not just the war in Afghanistan, but I can also explore what it would be like to be a movie star or an astronaut. It is beyond doubt a good thing that there is non-fiction stories, because even though some of the events may be inaccurate or exaggerated, the author gives me the chance to create my own new experiences.