Fictional stories have been and continue to be one of humanity’s strongest allies, guiding societies and teaching them how to live. In ancient Greek society, the government would fund theater to teach people how to be good citizens, and in more modern times, independent authors write stories to show what they think is right and wrong.

The Lord of the Rings, written by J.R.R. Tolkien, notoriously includes realistically portrayed characters. Realistic and human in the way that they cry, they laugh, and they are tied by their emotions, all real things that the audience can relate to. All things that make the audience feel like they could be in these characters’ shoes themselves. The adventures that occur are perilous and the characters are put into hardships unimaginable to many, however, their feelings and actions can still resonate with the modern reader. These characters tell people to do good in the face of evil and give them strong and real-feeling examples. 

The characters in The Lord of the Rings stick with their companions and morals in the face of such monumental evil. They keep hope, and they keep fighting, with courage and fear mixed in a blender, but everything they go through is complex. The characters do extraordinary things, they fight battles and change worlds, but at their core they are human, and they falter and sway by evil and the unknown. In the end, past the incredible pain that they went through, the characters find peace. The evil is destroyed and they bring joy to the land. This is a reminder to readers as well as the fictional characters that good things come to those who do good deeds.

In the same way that stories can provide lessons to audiences that consume them, they can also provide warnings. In many instances these warnings, especially in a modern society, come from literature and media portraying a dystopian future society. V for Vendetta is a film that shows one of those societies and what a rebellion can do to push out evil.

However, in contrast to the vulnerability and juxtaposing courage that is humanity in The Lord of the Rings, V for Vendetta’s main character, the vigilante ‘V’, is strong and unbreakable. Although there is humanity in anger and strength, the complexity of those emotions are not explored in depth. The genre difference is a factor, and it makes sense that there is a noticeable difference in what the story is trying to portray. While the prior story is highlighting how the individual matters on a small and fragile scale, V for Vendetta gives a window into the fighting side of individuality. It can get confusing, as well, when there are so many different stories and morals combatting each other, but when they combine they create a beautiful mosaic of morals to guide the society appreciating them.

Tales and stories have always served as lessons, and even now in the world’s modernity, societies can gain from stories new and young and heed the warnings and lessons given to them. This is not to discount a frivolous romance novel, because peace in individual lives is just as important as a greater lesson. However, when someone sits down to read or watch their favorite stories, they are most often inspired by them, and those morals bleed into their everyday lives where they interact with real people and make the world a better or worse place after it.