Can the Promised Land have as much impact as Home?

[Mythical Traveller]

Having recently re-watched the Lord Of The Rings trilogy for the umpteenth time, I've once again found myself in awe over the number of times Sam and Frodo leave me in tears. (They aren't the only ones who do that, but they are by far the biggest offenders). I would love to be able to write a story that can deliver such emotional impacts on my readers (yeah, yeah, I know... "Dare to dream, amateur" ).

Anyway, one thing that's struck me during my analysis of Frodo and Sam is the music. During their best moments, the background music is always the same: the theme for The Shire. That's telling because so much of Frodo & Sam's magic is based on their love of their homeland. It's what drives them and it's the keystone for all the impact they deliver to the viewer.

I find that a bit discouraging, personally, because neither of the protagonists in my story have fondly-regarded homes. They aren't fighting to protect their homeland as much as they are questing for a "promised land". Everything they do is based not on memory, but on a dream and I'm worried that that makes them less grounded as characters and perhaps inherently weaker than a Frodo or Sam-type character who actually has something real to hold on to.

What do you think? Do you think that "The Promised Land" is an inherently weaker literary tool than "Home"? Can it be augmented to place it on more equal footing?

Love to hear your thoughts.

 

[CupofJoe]

I don't see The Promised Land as lesser, but it is not real [yet]. It is hope and aspiration. A better tomorrow.
"Home" is real, the characters know it. They know what they are fighting for.
In LotR we [and a lot of the other characters] can see the Shire as idyllic and "something worth fighting for Mr Frodo".
There are more than a few Sci-Fi shows where characters destroy their own existence/reality so there is a chance that another [better] reality survives.
To make "The Promised Land" as powerful to your reader you have to make it as real to your characters.
How? That's a question, let alone an answer, I'm working on.

And good music helps.... a lot.

 

[TWErvin2]

It really depends on the story you're telling and the characters used to tell it.

In a dystopian world, for example, there is more likely to be longing for something or someplace better than the 'home' they (the characters) have always known.

 

[skip.knox]

Watch and/or read Exodus. Read the Bible version, but the version I'm talking about is the one by Leon Uris. Watch or read just about anything regarding the pioneers of the American West. IOW, the stories are out there.

There are less-obvious stories about a Promised Land, ones in which it's not a physical place. Just about any story about personal redemption tells that tale--getting from where you are to some better place. These can be deeply powerful, for they speak to a fundamental human yearning. Or, as Robert Browning said, "... a man's reach should exceed his grasp, or what's a Heaven for?"

 

[FifthView]

I recently watched HBO's Westworld, first and only season so far, and was blown away by it. The show handles this pretty well. If you're not familiar with the story, basically it's about a huge theme park in which all the characters are synthetic humans with artificial intelligence who have dedicated storylines and repeat those storylines. (Usually, the repeat is daily, at least "daily" for individual synthetics.)

In the show,

Spoiler: Very mild, vague, potential spoilers

an update to the programming of the synthetics is called "Reveries." Usually when they are killed and/or reset in their storyline, their memory of the previous storyline is wiped clean. They start fresh the next day. But the Reveries update allows them to have some flashbacks to previous storylines, usually very vague and often with errors. (Not every storyline plays out identically, because interactions with the human guests who come to the park introduce variations. Plus, sometimes these synthetics are put into entirely new storylines whenever new narratives are created over the years.)

These memories serve some of the same purpose as Frodo's and Sam's memories of home, more obviously for some of these synthetics than others. Basically, the characters search for either an actual return to the past or an understanding of the significance of these reveries. Some of these memories are very pleasant. Whether pleasant or unpleasant, they are touchstones, a key feature in the lives and personas of these characters. This is part of what gives them meaning, including for us. Seeing the old trials and tribulations helps to build an interest in these characters.

I think what you can do for your characters is to consider something other than place for them.

I find that a bit discouraging, personally, because neither of the protagonists in my story have fondly-regarded homes. They aren't fighting to protect their homeland as much as they are questing for a "promised land". Everything they do is based not on memory, but on a dream and I'm worried that that makes them less grounded as characters and perhaps inherently weaker than a Frodo or Sam-type character who actually has something real to hold on to.

I think that in most cases, it's impossible to have someone searching out a desired future without having some kind of past. Place isn't a great term there if taken literally; situation might be better. What makes the future goal have meaning is the comparison of a past situation. How can the Promised Land have value or significance without this?

The past situation might be a person, might even be those characters' past selves, or any number of things. The characters can't be running to something without running from something. The dream isn't shiny without some dull thing for comparison. So I'd dig into these characters and find out what it is they want changed about their lives.

Edit: In case I wasn't clear...I don't think you need a fondly-remembered home. The real magic, the depth comes from a comparison of past and present/future. Frodo's and Sam's present is unpleasant and only seems like it's going to get worse. That's why the past seems so shiny. But your characters could have an opposite sort of thing, where the past is dull/bad and the future seems shiny. (Even if the past contained some shiny thing, like a love, it could have been made bad by the death or betrayal of that love. The Promised Land can be, actually, a "returning to the past" insofar as characters are trying to get to a future that is as good as something lost in the past.)

 

[Aurora]

Having recently re-watched the Lord Of The Rings trilogy for the umpteenth time, I've once again found myself in awe over the number of times Sam and Frodo leave me in tears. (They aren't the only ones who do that, but they are by far the biggest offenders). I would love to be able to write a story that can deliver such emotional impacts on my readers (yeah, yeah, I know... "Dare to dream, amateur" ).

Anyway, one thing that's struck me during my analysis of Frodo and Sam is the music. During their best moments, the background music is always the same: the theme for The Shire. That's telling because so much of Frodo & Sam's magic is based on their love of their homeland. It's what drives them and it's the keystone for all the impact they deliver to the viewer.

I find that a bit discouraging, personally, because neither of the protagonists in my story have fondly-regarded homes. They aren't fighting to protect their homeland as much as they are questing for a "promised land". Everything they do is based not on memory, but on a dream and I'm worried that that makes them less grounded as characters and perhaps inherently weaker than a Frodo or Sam-type character who actually has something real to hold on to.

What do you think? Do you think that "The Promised Land" is an inherently weaker literary tool than "Home"? Can it be augmented to place it on more equal footing?

Love to hear your thoughts.

The whole point of stories like Sam and Frodo's is that they leave home to complete a mission but achieve internal growth in the process, ie, they return home changed individuals. It's part of the plot construction of this type of story.

 

[psychotick]

Hi,

"Home" is a restrictive term here. What you're asking is can the desire to find something new be more powerful than the desire to retain what you've got? It doesn't matter whether its land or community or some sort of value. The answer is yes. This is the basis of most struggles in the world today. Think Mandela - one of the great struggles of ourtime. Or Martin Luthor King. Ghandi. The "land" they were fighting for wasn't a new land in the literal sense. It was a value. Equality, civil rights, freedom from oppression etc. They were always going to remainin the same land with the same community. They just wanted change - and that change was everything.

I think for your story to be as powerful for your characters as you can make it, you need to analyse what it is that are actually searching for. And nine times out of ten I would guess that they aren't searching for a new geographic location or a new community to live in. They're looking for something more intangible, but far more valuable.

Cheers, Greg.

 

[Reaver]

Having recently re-watched the Lord Of The Rings trilogy for the umpteenth time, I've once again found myself in awe over the number of times Sam and Frodo leave me in tears.

The Return of the King is one of my favorite books in the trilogy, not only because of the destruction of The One Ring and thereby Sauron but because of The Scouring of the Shire. After all Frodo and his fellow Hobbits go through to basically save the world, their promised land, which in my opinion is The Shire, has been nearly destroyed and is being governed by Saruman.

 

[Noxius]

To add a thought on this based on LotR:
Of course we see the strong connection to the shire, and how this strongly affects the hobbits in both books and films (still so sad that they didn't include how they saved the shire form Saruman!)
Anyway, for me, personally, one of the strongest moments in the film (right after Pippin singing to Denethor while Faramir nearly dies) is the scene where Gandlaf and Pippin talk during the battle of Gondor:

Pippin: I didn't think it would end this way.
Gandalf: End? No, the journey doesn't end here. Death is just another path, one that we all must take. The grey rain-curtain of this world rolls back, and all turns to silver glass, and then you see it.
Pippin: See what?
Gandalf: White shores, and beyond, a far green country under a swift sunrise.
Pippin: Well, that isn't so bad.
Gandalf: No. No it isn't.

Of course death is not really Pippins goal here. But nontheless, I think that image of a beautiful land that he will reach once his battle is over is still something very strong and emotional.


But anyway, I think that the promised land can have the same meaning to the characters and readers as home. Especially if the characters don't have a home, or have one that only has misery, than the hope to reach their promised land can be just as important to them than defending their home to someone else. And it can paint a very strong picture and connection the readers. Hope for a better tomorrow and the fight for something that hopefully will bring peace and joy is something most people had in their livees in one way or another, and I'm sure many can strongly connect with that idea.

 

[Mythical Traveller]

There's so much here - all great insight, BTW, so I will simply say thanks to you all in one post.

I feel much better about the prospects of my story now. Thank you, everybody!

 

[TheCrystallineEntity]

Having recently re-watched the Lord Of The Rings trilogy for the umpteenth time, I've once again found myself in awe over the number of times Sam and Frodo leave me in tears.

I'm the same; the Grey Havens scene always leaves me in tears.

Actually, the word amateur comes from a Latin word that basically means 'those who do what they love', and originally had no negative meaning.

 

[Mythopoet]

Having recently re-watched the Lord Of The Rings trilogy for the umpteenth time, I've once again found myself in awe over the number of times Sam and Frodo leave me in tears. (They aren't the only ones who do that, but they are by far the biggest offenders). I would love to be able to write a story that can deliver such emotional impacts on my readers (yeah, yeah, I know... "Dare to dream, amateur" ).

Anyway, one thing that's struck me during my analysis of Frodo and Sam is the music. During their best moments, the background music is always the same: the theme for The Shire. That's telling because so much of Frodo & Sam's magic is based on their love of their homeland. It's what drives them and it's the keystone for all the impact they deliver to the viewer.

I find that a bit discouraging, personally, because neither of the protagonists in my story have fondly-regarded homes. They aren't fighting to protect their homeland as much as they are questing for a "promised land". Everything they do is based not on memory, but on a dream and I'm worried that that makes them less grounded as characters and perhaps inherently weaker than a Frodo or Sam-type character who actually has something real to hold on to.

What do you think? Do you think that "The Promised Land" is an inherently weaker literary tool than "Home"? Can it be augmented to place it on more equal footing?

Love to hear your thoughts.

Thing is, LOTR hits you in the feels both for Home and also for the Promised Land. (Not so much the movies, obviously. Read the books.) When the Elves feel an almost uncontrollable natural longing for the sea, it's really their longing for what lies over the sea, the promised land that they were always called to. Tolkien knew well the spirit call of both. And how sometimes they are in conflict with each other. Which is a great source of drama and character development. Either one can give the Eucatastrophe that Tolkien talked about, the rush of emotional satisfaction one receives from the resolution of the story.

LOTR is the perfect example because ROTK ends with both. Frodo goes to the Promised Land where he will finally receive healing. And Sam returns home to his family. Because home and the promised land are both places that we humans long for, but different people long for them to different extents. The Promised Land is what Frodo needs and it's always made me happy for him that he got to go there. But home is where Sam belongs, at least at that point. They both receive their proper reward. It's the perfect ending.

 

[Helen]

What do you think? Do you think that "The Promised Land" is an inherently weaker literary tool than "Home"? Can it be augmented to place it on more equal footing?

Love to hear your thoughts.

Not at all. The promised land has a massive amount of impact; that's where the major change usually occurs.