Note: This post was written by a student at Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady in the spring of 2018.
One of the most powerful aspects of fiction is its therapeutic potential. Fiction provides the opportunity to empathize with characters or the events in the story and writers have the power to inspire and empower their audiences through empathy and comfort conveyed in their work by creating a unique experience individual to each reader. This therapeutic use of stories, known as bibliotherapy, can help individuals struggling to heal or who are encountering adversity. An example of a short story that is therapeutic is “How to Become a Writer” by Lorrie Moore because it renders a realistic depiction of college. “How to Become a Writer” counters the idyllic portrayal of college in movies, books, and the media. This story chronicles the harrowing struggle of a child psychology major named Francine to retain her identity and passion for writing despite having her dreams berated by her loved ones and peers who also have similar professional goals. This story is therapeutic to individuals who may be struggling with vocational discernment and encountering disappointments and failures along the journey of self-discovery. The strong therapeutic aspects of “How to Become a Writer” are an excellent example of the struggle between vocational discernment and identity. By reconciling these two components with society and through authenticity of the protagonist, Francine, Moore provides catharsis to her audience. The end result is a therapeutic story that can provide empowerment and inspiration to those struggling with vocational discernment, disappointments and failures, and identity.
Francine struggles to discern her vocation as a child psychology major because she wants to be a writer. This is a dilemma some college students face when trying to find a passion that can be turned into an occupation or, in Francine’s case, trying to find an occupation that overlaps with a passion. Discouraged by her parents, Francine becomes a childhood psychology major, and she continues to fuel her passion by writing during nighttime. A clever innovation of Lorrie Moore’s writing that makes this aspect of ‘How to Become a Writer” even more relatable is the second person narration of the story, like a ‘how to’ guide for struggling college students. This instantly establishes a connection with the reader. For example, Moore writes, “The only happiness you find is in writing something new in the middle of the night, armpits damp heart pounding, something no one has yet seen. You have only those brief, fragile, untested moments of exhilaration when you know: you are a genius. Understand what you must do. Switch majors. The kids in your nursery project will be disappointed, but you have a calling, an urge, a delusion, an unfortunate habit.” The emotions described exemplify the invigorating experience a person feels when living his or her passion, whether in the context of a hobby or profession. What makes this passage so empowering is the fact that it provides an immersive experience for the reader. Through the use of second person, the emotions are not just Francine’s emotions; rather, they become the reader’s emotions. This can inspire a college student or any individual to pursue his/her calling by reminding him/her of the immeasurable joy that stems from living one’s vocation.
A second therapeutic trait of “How to Become a Writer” is the empathy Moore conveyed through Francine, who is vulnerable yet tenacious in her pursuit of writing. This incongruous mixture is representative of the qualities of the stage of life in early adulthood when most college-aged adults are forging their own identities amongst a tsunami of doubt, derision, and failures. Francine struggles to be understood by her family and even by her peers in creative writing classes. When sharing her stories, she faces harsh criticism from her peers who “felt sorry for her” and called her sense of plot “outrageous and incompetent” and “crazy.” Initially, like many longing to fit in, Francine “looks hopefully at the class hopefully as they scour mimeographs for plot, look back up, drag deeply and then smile in a sweet sort of way.” Facing disappointment from strangers is tough enough, but Francine even faces disappointment from her own mother, who reluctantly buys a baby name book Francine asked for, shaking her head and saying “Francie, remember when you wanted to be a child psychology major.” Francine is also misunderstood by her roommates who tell people at parties “She just writes about her dumb boyfriend.” While this isolation is a common rite of passage, it is therapeutic because readers may be able to find themselves reflected in Francine or their struggles aligned with hers as they encounter devastating disappointments such as rejection or failure, which are common when navigating early adulthood. However, Francine, despite her failures and the derision she encounters, remains authentic, proudly sharing her ideas and jokes with her roommate, even when she is rewarded with blank stares. Failure is a common fear, and for some people, can be more terrifying than death. However, Francine encounters failures multiple times when reception to her writing, ideas, or personality is ambivalent at best. She rises from her own ashes constantly because she continues to persist. In the end, despite the failures she experiences, she is successful because she continues to write and does not allow others to define her worth or success. Observing this pattern of repeated “failures” can paradoxically be comforting to readers and encourage them to embrace both failure and success since these two elements are intertwined. Francine’s persistence can encourage readers, whether the struggling artist or the undeclared college major or the closet writer, to pursue their passions and embrace the parts of their identity they tuck away out of fear of the same kind of backlash Francine endures.
A strategy employed by Moore is representing several stages of life to demonstrate the importance of awareness and acceptance of identity. These phases of life bring new revelations and adversities, but the one constant is Francine’s strength and decision to retain her identity. “How to Become a Writer” acknowledges that “From here on, many things can happen. Somehow you end up writing again. Perhaps you go on to graduate school. Perhaps you work odd jobs and take writing courses. Perhaps you are losing your pals, your acquaintances, your balance.” This elaborates on the previous theme of the inevitability of defeat, but also emphasizes the beautiful paradox of “How to Become a Writer.” Even when Francine loses “pals, acquaintances, and balance”, she still has the most important element necessary to succeed and survive in the world: her identity. Despite all the adversity Francine continually endures, her identity remains intact. Francine’s ability to adhere to her authentic identity can be therapeutic because it reminds the audience of the value of inner resilience that originates from self-acceptance. Most people experience an identity crisis and must reconcile their identity with their passions or vocation while fitting these two facets into the context of their relationships and society at large.
“How to Become a Writer” demonstrates the therapeutic capacity of fiction. Notable therapeutic traits of “How to Become a Writer” include Francine’s struggles with vocational discernment, failure, and her awareness and acceptance of self-identity independent of family, friends, peers, and society. These struggles are universal, especially in young and early adulthood; therefore, individuals in college or those in their early adult years may find “How to Become a Writer” relatable and cathartic. They can find strength, inspiration, and empowerment in Francine’s unwavering commitment to her calling of being a writer while managing to retain her identity in the midst of failure, rejection, and estrangement from peers. The gritty recounting of Francine’s struggles may allow readers to see themselves and their struggles reflected in her. As a result, the empathy conveyed through Francine can be therapeutic to individuals and encourage them to persevere in their own vocational pursuits, not succumb to failure, and to embrace their identity authentically.
