Texts are idealistic, reality isn't

Modern texts present an idealistic view of the world. This often does not reflect or represent reality.

Today's film makers and authors create what we want to see, this is why we rarely see or read films or novels that have an utterly tragic ending. Many a tragedy ends on a positive note. Romeo and Juliet, for example, ends with the reconciliation of the Montague and Capulet families. This offers hope for a better future. This idea is also present in Cry, the Beloved Country where, although there are numeros tragedies throughout the novel, the ending is the silver lining in a dark cloud. Other novels such as The Book Thief and A Thousand Splendid Suns also have a similarly styled ending.

This somewhat idealistic ending does not necessarily represent the reality of our lives. We experience tragedy or sorrow or Petrachian Love without a happy resolution. Film makers and authors literally can't afford to have an unhappy ending if it is reality. This is because we do not enjoy reading about the tragedy of our own lives. We all want to view our own ideals that are simply infrequent in reality.

I remember watching Troy and hating it because i thought it was tragic how an entire city was destroyed. Although the same happened in the Trojan Horse, it didn't feel as tragic. But when presented in such a visually striking manner as in the film it felt all the more tragic. There is one moment in that film which left a vivid image in my mind. That was when the smouldering city with screaming women and children amidst a battle was reflected in the moist, wrinkled eyes of the old King of Troy. That was particularly sad. Imagine watching everything you loved, cared about and worked for being destroyed right in front of you and there is nothing you could do except watch. Even more tragically, it was not even your fault that it happened.

That must be similar to what store owners who lost their businesses due to the recession felt. It must also be what all those who watched their families and homes burn in the Australian bushfires felt. That must be why we despise films with a totally tragic ending. That must also be why modern texts rarely reflect reality.