By KEVIN KAUMANS, Feature Editor
When we read books or watch a movie, most of the time we never think much of the person who wrote the story we are watching unfold before us.
We rarely ever ask ourselves why the author decided to write the story they wrote, or where they got their ideas from.
This is because of the phrase “separating the art from the artist,” in which we as the audience tend to focus more on the media a person presents to us rather than the person themself, whether it would be their character, their upbringing or their beliefs.
Take C.S. Lewis for example. Anyone who has read any of his books in the “Narnia” series can clearly see the Christian allegory within his writings.
This even makes more sense if you research Lewis’ backstory.
The man had lost his faith in God after his mother’s death when he was young, only for his friend, J.R.R. Tolkien, to bring him back into the religion.
C.S. Lewis is a good example of how an author’s upbringing can influence what they write.
If a person grew up surrounded by racism, sexism or other forms of bigotry, that is most likely going to be what they write about in their stories, or at the very least contain it as a theme.
If a white person grows up in a all-white small town, then it is easy to understand if most of the characters featured within their stories are going to be white people.
The same rule would apply with a black person growing up in Nigeria or Kenya having his main characters be African or at least of African descent.
Let us say you have an author that grew up in an abusive household.
It would not be illogical, therefore, to assume that said author will write books where abuse is brought up at least once with one of the characters in the stories they write.
All of these examples that I have shown you, fellow reader, proves one thing: People tend to write what they know.
Now, this is not some law of the universe set in stone. Obviously you can have white authors featuring non-white protagonists in their books, and vice versa.
You can also have an author who grew up with parents who were unfaithful to each other never bring up the theme of adultery in their books. But these instances tend to be exceptions to the rule, rather than something that outright debunks its existence.
I believe the English and film professors of Northwestern should include the backstories of authors or directors they talk about in their classes more often.
Yes, I also believe we can separate the art from the artist. But at the same time, we shouldn’t overlook the facts either.
Now, I’m not claiming I always know what a writer or filmmaker is trying to represent in their stories, as I am not omniscient.
At the end of the day, only the storytellers themselves know what the true meaning is within their works, but their beliefs and upbringings is not something we should overlook.