10 Fiction Books Every Catholic Should Read (Or at Least Try Once)
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10 fiction books every Catholic should read (or at least try once) Humans are wired to seek the truth. God created us that way. It helps us in finding God who is Truth itself. While science and math give us measurable facts, the place where we reach real, intangible truth is usually in our stories. Good fiction helps us recognize who we are, who we want to be and how to live a life of courage, honesty, endurance and compassion. There’s a reason that Jesus told so many parables, after all. If you’ve got the choice between a detailed lecture and an exciting story, which one would you pick? In today’s world we may come across few parables, but we do have an abundance of novels and short stories. Here are 10 good stories for you to try. Some of the authors are Christian, some are not, but all have truth at the heart of their tales — in a very entertaining package. “The Epic of Gilgamesh” (2100 BC) Just because a story is 4,000 years old doesn’t mean you won’t understand it. The basic plot is a lot like a modern superhero movie. Gilgamesh (half-god) is the cruel king of Uruk. He and good-hearted Enkidu (monster slayer) become best friends after an epic wrestling match proves them equals. When Enkidu dies, the grieving Gilgamesh hunts the key to immortality. But nothing he finds changes the fact that every person must die. Gilgamesh returns to Uruk and becomes the good king that the people wanted all along. Food for thought This epic still has fresh translations being published and is alive and well in modern music, television and video games. We understand Gilgamesh because people have not changed. Societies, cities, fashions and food, yes. People, no. For example, Gilgamesh and Enkidu have the kind of friendship we all want. It brings out their nobler qualities and transforms them into better people. When Gilgamesh is overcome with grief at Enkidu’s death, it reminds us of the loved ones whose deaths leave a huge hole in our lives. And when Gilgamesh is proud of his city when he returns, we realize that he now sees his home as a haven and a joy in life, just as it should be for us. Through a Christian lens Compare Gilgamesh to Genesis 1-11 to really understand how different the Bible is compared to the stories that other ancient people were telling in the same time period. Although both have similar storytelling elements, such as a tricky serpent or an ark used to save people from a huge flood, the moral lessons and views of God are very different between the two. That’s because the Hebrew people explained how those elements show the truth about God that was missing from the pagan understanding. This is similar to how a Christian interprets certain events today differently than a secular person might. Note: Gerald J. Davis’s translation is clear and accessible. His foreword has just enough explanation and no spoilers. “The Scarlet Letter” (1844) — Nathaniel Hawthorne High school English teachers have ruined “The Scarlet Letter” for generations of students. As an adult, however, you realize that it’s about sex, guilt and revenge. It’s wasted on teenagers. In a 1642 Puritan village, Hester’s husband has been gone for years, but she just had a baby. Hester refuses to identify her lover. Her husband returns, becoming obsessed with identifying the lover and getting vengeance. The lover is tortured by guilt but afraid to confess. Food for thought “The Scarlet Letter” looks at very modern topics. The young woman in a loveless marriage who falls in love with a prominent man bears the burden of public condemnation. Meanwhile, her unidentified lover becomes increasingly influential. This book examines the price of endless guilt, which robs the lover of all peace of mind and health. Hester, by accepting punishment and supporting herself, becomes independent and beloved. Hester’s husband spends seven years tormenting the lover, thereby losing his humanity. All are measured by their personal relationships to God and each other. Through a Christian lens Puritans and adultery provide fertile ground for religious reflection. Hawthorne makes sure we understand his points by comparing and contrasting Hester, her lover, her husband and local Puritans. Our relationship with God is often measured by how we treat and are treated by others. The Puritans are legalistic and unforgiving. Hester and her lover learn through their suffering to rely more closely on God and that his grace is merciful to the repentant. As a Catholic, I especially appreciate that the lover only achieves spiritual freedom and closeness to God by confessing his sins to others. This was really unexpected, but it worked on several levels. “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” (1852) — Harriet Beecher Stowe Contrary to what you expect, this is a fast-moving soap opera loaded with interesting characters and cliffhangers that keep you on the edge of your seat. I love it. Uncle Tom is sold by his relatively kind owner to settle debts. Passed from person to person, his treatment exposes the flimsiness of every justification of slavery. Uncle Tom’s dedicated Christianity defines his character, and by the end of the book, under inhumane circumstances, he becomes one of the most inspiring Christ figures in literature. Food for thought Underlying everything is the question of what it means to be free. Stowe was writing to make one point: Slavery is evil. She took a careful look at everyone involved, using subtly portrayed people to demonstrate that slavery is bad not only for the slave but for everyone who is not trying to stop it. Freedom in this sense is more than physical enslavement. This is vividly shown through a number of situations, especially in runaway slave George Harris’s struggles with his bitterness and anger. Through a Christian lens You’ll never get a more thorough discussion of Christianity in a novel. Selfless Christian love is the answer to slavery and also every other problem in the book. Stowe shows just how hard it is to live up to that love. One of my favorite situations is Miss Ophelia’s struggles with Topsy, as the New England spinster realizes her long-held ideals do not hold up to actually loving a traumatized slave put in her care. By the end of the book we are left reflecting on our own love and whether we live our ideals face to face. “Dracula” (1897) — Bram Stoker “Dracula” is about good versus evil. Period. You won’t find any sparkly, angsty, modern vampires here. Dracula wants to raise an army of vampires to conquer London. Our little band of heroes uses a combination of innovative technology and old-fashioned religion to fight him. We know good will win, but what sacrifices will have to be made to do it? Food for thought Ignoring what is true in favor of our own stereotypes leads to disaster. For example, just like today, a lot of people in “Dracula” have difficulty accepting the supernatural as reality. They deliberately ignore what they can’t explain. Our heroes scoff at superstition when lower classes offer rosaries and garlic, only to find out later that it is effective. They deploy new technology like telegrams, typewriters and trains only to have them fail at crucial moments. Similarly, the book challenges social stereotypes. The uneducated are wise. Foreigners contribute valuable knowledge. Women equal men in their intelligence and innovation. When they are marginalized in the book, Dracula begins to win. Through a Christian lens In this book, the Eucharist and the crucifix have real supernatural power. They aren’t just symbols. The true presence of Christ is what repels Dracula. Dracula compels others to shed their blood for his eternal life. Jesus’ shedding his blood so we may have eternal life is the ultimate good that Dracula cannot bear. Ultimately we see that Dracula’s selfishness is the perversion of Christ’s complete self-giving. When our heroes’ unselfishness echoes Christ’s then they are their most effective. This is taken to Christ-like levels in Mina Harker’s reminder to the men that Dracula himself once had a soul. “The Virginian” (1902) — Owen Wister If you like reading Westerns, you can thank “The Virginian,” which was the first Western novel. Noble cowboys, cattle rustlers, gunfights, courting pretty school marms, and much more were found first in this book. Vignettes of Western adventure, told by an English tenderfoot who reappears periodically, are funny, moving and thrilling. The common thread is the Virginian’s wooing of a schoolteacher from Vermont. Between these two newcomers’ points of view, we gradually learn the Virginian’s character and life lessons. Food for thought Amid the Western trappings is a wonderful character study told in surprisingly contemporary writing. Westerns are often morality tales, and we see both the tenderfoot and Molly grow as they learn how the Virginian’s code of honor is applied to everyday life in the uncivilized West. This is the first time a cowboy was portrayed as a hero, and the Virginian is the strong, silent type with an unwavering code of chivalry. This code of manliness gives us all a standard to strive for. Through a Christian lens If someone in this story isn’t Christian, it is only because they are a no-good outlaw. It’s as straightforward faith as you would expect in the wild West. The Virginian and his sweetheart are our models of Christian behavior.