The Concept of Story

Recently I read an article by Stanley Hauerwas on an alternative pattern for rationality in ethics. In this article, Hauerwas points out the importance of narrative for today's post-modern culture. Narrative can also be described as "story." As I was reading this article, I reflected on the importance that story plays in each of our lives today. I am part of a house group with the church that Lindsay and I attend. For the past several months we have been taking time to share our life stories with the group. While this is a painful exercise, it is also a great opportunity to know somebody on a much deeper level. It provides a context for going through life together.

Every story has a narrative structure to it. Now, I know not all people are "structure" people, but when it comes to narrative, we all appreciate structure. That doesn't mean that, at times, the structure does not make one feel uncomfortable. I remember reading Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath and being somewhat frustrated with the breaks between chapters in which he described the land during the time of the great dust bowl. That particular structure annoyed me to a certain degree, but it was structure none the less.

At the heart of a narrative's structure is the plot - which can perhaps best be described as the point of the story. As the plot unfolds, the reader (or hearer in some contexts) is introduced to characters and, as the plot unfolds, the characters are developed.

Hauerwas' main point in relating the concept of narrative to ethics is that the discipline of ethics is not simply about making ethical decisions when a problem situation arises, but about what sort of people we should be. It deals with character. How one views particular moral quandaries and how he or she will choose to act when facing them will depend on his or her character. Character affects the reasons why we act. Our character is shaped by the kinds of stories we are holding to make sense out of life. Furthermore, because the concept of narrative/story has the ability to draw people in, stories help us relate to the rest of the world.

The concept of story is particularly helpful when I think about God's grand narrative of redemption. Whether one knows it or not, we are all characters in a larger-than-life story that continues to be written by God. Like any story, there exists the variety of elements in a story (plot, characters, conflict, tension, resolution, etc.). I think the best news of all is that the story continues to be written.

When it comes to relating to one another and deepening our relationships with each other, I find it helpful to know that each person has a story. We have individual stories that include moments of happiness and joy, but also those of frustration, pain, and sorrow. And there is the grand meta-narrative that we are all a part of. I am hopeful that the story that God is writing will indeed be brought to completion. The ending, though unseen and unknown, will be glorious. I don't necessarily get that, but it is the hope to which I am clinging to today.

JWR