One Hundred Fantasy Clichés That Really Need To Rest In Peace

#68: Shoving Morals Down the Audience's Throat

  One of the best qualities of a strong fantasy novel is subtly.  Within its diverse exterior are the motivations the writer mixes into their characters as well as the setting to get across a relatable message.  The beautiful princess covered in roses wants to not just be a mantelpiece of her family's high status.  She wants to become strong by fighting her own battles as a knight.  The heroic dragon tamer looks like a fierce character on the outside.  On the inside though, he is fighting self doubt and is on the verge of a mental breakdown.  The evil wizard looks like any ordinary enemy from a fantasy novel.  However, he truly represents society's cruelty towards the regular working class.  This entire fantasy novel was made by the author with the intent of spreading their ideologies about how the elite hurt regular citizens working hard every day just to stay alive.  To not preach the message to the point of annoyance, these characters as well as the fantasy setting were created.  The reader is rewarded with not only a well written fantasy epic from the writer's initial motivation, but learns a well balanced philosophical lesson on top of it.  Both sides from this novel benefit.

  That is why books like Animal Farm still have an impact on our society today.  George Orwell's message about the hidden dangers of communism are mixed in well within the tale of an animal uprising on an ordinary farm.  This is also why a nonfiction novel preaching the same exact message will not as effectively engage the audience's attention.  When it comes to preaching morals, no one likes them shoved down their throats.  It is like having grape flavored cough syrup.  A little bit here and there is not going to be a problem towards the child taking it, despite their general dislike for the flavor.  Having to take it multiple times a day on the other hand will drive the child crazy.  No one likes too much of anything.

  One of the most famous of these messages sown into fantasy novels is about environmentalism, especially when it comes to saving the rainforest.  Out of the multiple media that have covered this subject, only a select few have successfully integrated the message into the storyline without getting on the audience's nerves.  One such example is the movie Fern Gully, which combined its environmentalism message with creative visuals and a well thought out fantasy setting.  It took advantage of being an animated movie in order to better convey the message.  Because of this, despite the message being quite visible from the beginning, it still managed to be entertaining.  Then there are the other mediums that try the same thing but become as preachy as a sermon.  The audience disapproves with the message being constantly shoved down their throats.  As a result, the story or in this case the sermon does not catch on.

  Subtly is the key to conveying the messages you crave to preach.  Telling a well thought out premise with a moral as its blueprint is the best path to take.  After all, many other books have done the same thing perfectly in the past.  The tale of Jekyll and Hyde teaches us about our inner demons and the monsters it can turn us into if we do not have a restraint.  The Great Gatsby talks about the corruption surrounding the rich during the Roaring Twenties.  Even something like Twilight gives a subtle message about the purity of love, despite the writing not exactly being to everyone's taste.  Subtly will give you the answer you need in order to spread any message you desire to your audience.