Authenticity Liberated by Fiction

            LDS culture is portrayed throughout society in a variety of ways. Fiction is one of those mediums that LDS authors use to portray this culture in a new light. In “Will Wonders Never Cease” by Doug Thayer, a refreshing portrayal of this culture is shown through the eyes of a 15-year-old boy.

            Through the use of candor and honesty, we have a unique view and perspective on the LDS culture, and how this culture handles real life issues and situations. Because of this candor, the story shows an authentic representation of Kyle and his life, and how the mind of a 15-year-old boy works.  For example, like we discussed in class, things like same-sex attraction and sex education are spoken so openly and discussed amongst the characters, that it shows a different way to show the LDS culture and beliefs amongst other people.

            Fiction I believe allows for this authentic representation to flourish over other mediums like nonfiction. Nonfiction is restricted to the facts and portraying the events and thoughts of a story according to something that already happened, and doesn’t leave much room for branching out. While in fiction, the author has the liberty of creating characters and the setting where the story will take place. Then they can show ideas and situations that interact with these characters that show an authentic representation of the character’s lives and beliefs. Fiction, I believe, has more leeway in allowing the author to engage the reader in different ways compared to a personal essay. In my opinion, LDS fiction allows the best medium for authors to deliver an authentic representation of one’s lives and beliefs in the most engaging manner to the audience.