Why Fiction Authors Need to Write More about Poverty

Poverty is a social problem that has been around since time immemorial. By definition, poverty refers to a state or condition in which a person or community lacks the financial resources to afford the minimum standard of living. As of 2015, nearly half of the world’s population or more than 1.3 billion people live in poverty. In the United States alone, around 39 million Americans are considered poor.

Poverty is a serious problem that needs to be tackled more. It is a social injustice that has been affecting millions of people from around the world for decades. In literature, particularly, there is a greater need to talk about poverty. Many authors, especially those of literary fiction, seem to refuse to touch on this topic for certain reasons. For one, it is a highly debated issue. Despite this, however, some authors still dare to write about it.

Earl Robert Key is an example of an author who writes books with themes of poverty and other social issues. His latest book, Strong Boy, Weak Man, provides the readers with an illustration of poverty particularly in rural Mississippi. Although it illustrates poverty culture, it is an inspiring book that teaches the readers about the importance of drive, determination, and intense motivation. All the other Earl books on unravelling the poverty-driven culture of the society possess the same bold yet inspiring characteristic. Like Earl Robert Key, other authors should cultivate the same willingness to include this issue in their stories as much as possible. There are several important reasons why fiction authors need to write more about poverty.

Literary fiction is a great platform for raising awareness

Literature has many purposes: to express, comfort, protest, challenge, enlighten, and educate. Ultimately, literature is an extensive platform in which countless of topics about life in general can be tackled. It is a great avenue for raising awareness on the important issues of the society.

Literary fiction, particularly, is an effective tool for educating the reading public, especially the youth. Both children and adults love to read fiction. Compared to non-fiction, fiction stories are more widely read because they provide narratives that capture the attention and pique the interest of the people. For this reason, it is necessary for fiction authors to write about social issues such as poverty in order to raise a greater public awareness of these issues. To talk about poverty in fiction stories is to educate the public in a somewhat creative way.

Stories about poverty appeal heavily to the emotions of the readers

A great way to make people aware and interested in a certain issue is to appeal to their emotions. This is what fiction stories are good at – stirring various emotions among the readers. When stories about poverty are striking enough, they can raise a great awareness among the reading public on the causes and ramifications of poverty on the society and on people. For this reason, fiction authors need to write more stories about poverty, so more and more people will become fully aware and interested in this issue. More importantly, striking stories about poverty can also prompt many people to take action and find feasible solutions to this long-standing social problem.

Stories about poverty teach the readers important lessons about life

Stories about poverty do not only tend to educate the readers on the causes and effects of poverty. They also teach them some important lessons about life. Earl Robert Key’s Strong Boy, Weak Man, for example, teaches the readers about the importance of drive, determination, and motivation. This is what stories about poverty should look like. They do not necessarily have to be solely grim illustrations of how it feels like to be poor. Instead, these stories should have some inspiring lessons in them. Authors who write about poverty in fiction stories should ensure that their readers do not only become aware, but they should also become inspired, driven, and fueled with hope by these stories.

Overall, there is a greater need for fiction authors to write about poverty not only because it is a striking theme for novels, but also because literature, in general, is a great platform for raising awareness on the significant issues of the society. The books of Earl Robert Key on unravelling the poverty-driven culture of the society show just how necessary it is to illustrate poverty in books in such a way that it informs, inspires, and to some extent, disturbs the reading public. Indeed, the stories that are worth reading the most are those that reflect the reality and attempt to cure ignorance.

 

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This
Skip to content