Blog # 6: Jess Yaun

I have a social agenda for my novel that I planned to hide within the layers of the plot. In fact, the idea for my story came from a desire to comment on modern western society. The idea emerged over several years of contemplation; my anthropology professor planted the seed. He told our class that the industrial revolution changed the way families lived and operated and that humans were still adapting to these changes. The most obvious change is going from extended families to nuclear families. But as I learned more about different tribes, from African tribes to Native American tribes, I was struck by how many of them shared cultural tendencies for unity and cooperation. As societies progress hierarchy develops and as it does, the emphasis on harmony and teamwork diminishes. This intrigued me.

Looking around at my own society, I see so many people that seem alienated and disconnected. Competition and independence are valued over cooperation and unity. Roles and identity are no longer determined for us by the family we live in and we have unlimited choice in who we become. I wanted to figure out a way to contrast how humans live today with how we once lived – for thousands of years. I decided on time travel.

As I began brainstorming and writing I chose to paint the present and the past worlds in stark, exaggerated portraits to highlight the differences between the societies. My protagonist, Rebecca, is deeply lonely and overwhelmed in the present, but finds comfort and peace in the past where family is central to day-to-day life and her role in society is defined for her. In her present world, she suffers the loss of her parents and struggles through it alone because she’s never met another member of her extended family. She doesn’t know who or where they are. Yet when she travels through time to the past and lives among Cherokee Native Americans, she learns about family and clans. She learns cooperation and harmony. She realizes the importance of a support system, and flourishes in her predetermined role within the society. When she finally returns to the present, she again feels overwhelmed by the differences – the abundance of choices to make and roles to assume. Instead of her identity being defined by her family, her clan, and her role among them, she must make one for herself. And she decides to create her own clan, since her society does not automatically offer her one.

This is the first story where I’ve consciously chosen an agenda. I’m sure in other writing my worldview and all that influences it has also influenced my words. It has been challenging to keep my agenda in mind as I write, and I worry that I’ll either make it too loud or too soft for the reader. But I keep trudging on. I’ve wanted to understand and explore the differences in how humans live my entire life, and I’ve been enjoying the exploration of those ideas through this story.