Today I'm thrilled to be bringing you a guest post by Deb Atwood, author of Moonlight Dancer. I will be reviewing Moonlight Dancer in the upcoming weeks, so be sure to be on the lookout for that. For today's guest post, Deb is going to share her thoughts on the lessons that we can learn from ghosts. I hope that you'll find this as interesting as I did. After the guest post I'll share some information about Deb, and her book, and there will also be a giveaway!
Ghost Lessons: 5 Things the Dead Teach Us About Life
Sometimes I think I look at ghosts in a different light
because I’m a writer. The novelist and essayist Leslie What once said, “Ghosts
are a metaphor for memory and remembrance and metaphorically connect our world
to the world we cannot know about.”
I like that. And I think the reverse is true, too. Ghosts
connect us to the world we do know about—our own lives. So, today, we’re
going to explore five tips for our lives in film and books, courtesy of the dead.
1.
In Life, There Are No Do-overs.
Okay, this one’s a paradox since so often ghosts do
get do-overs. Think about the movie The Sixth Sense, for instance. Dr.
Malcolm Crowe is haunted by a past error of judgment that resulted in a young
person’s death. Along comes Cole Sear, a boy who “sees dead people” but is
ill-equipped to handle the otherworldy burden, just like Dr. Crowe’s previous
patient. Once again Crowe finds himself fighting for the life and sanity of a
young patient, at the same time battling his own self-doubt.
Time and again we see repentant ghosts wandering (even in my
own novel Moonlight Dancer), hoping to snag a chance to right a past
wrong. But do you really want to be dead to make good? Nope, nor do I. The idea
is we have to get it right the first time.
2. For Every Action There Is a Reaction
What’s true in high school physics is true in ghostdom. If
we go back (for me, way back) to high school and Hamlet, we know that
when Claudius poisons the elder Hamlet, he causes more than a drug-induced
chemical reaction. The father apparition soon haunts Hamlet the younger and
sets dominoes in play that will catalyze tragedy. And that happens in
Wroblewski’s modern The Story of Edgar Sawtelle when Edgar receives
parental ghostly instruction that again will impact innocent lives and wreak
destruction, all precipitated by a need for revenge.
Take the film The Orphanage. In a moment of parental
inattention, Laura’s actions lead to the disappearance of her child. In her
quest to find her son, Laura inadvertently and literally opens the door to the
lost souls of orphaned children, and this action and reaction will change her
forever.
3.
Amor Vincit Omnia.
Or, as we say in English, Love Conquers All. This is an
ancient theme as old as writing. For this, I like to turn to one of my favorite
writers of ghost characters, Alice Hoffman. The idea that love can transcend
time and space appears in the magical realist works Practical Magic and TheRed Garden. If you’re like me, you don’t normally pick up short story
collections, and had I known The Red Garden contained stories, I
wouldn’t have chosen it. But I would have missed out on such a great read! And
the fact is, the stories are interrelated and consecutive and demonstrate the
ability of love and tradition to tie a community together through joy and pain.
And remembrance, re-lived through the annual re-enactment of “The Apparition.”
Then, there’s the iconic movie Ghost that truly
exemplifies transcendent love. Sigh. Who doesn’t remember the pottery wheel
scene? That scene alone will live forever in memory.
4. We Are Connected in Ways We May Not Know
This is an idea I began playing with when I wrote MoonlightDancer. I imagined a young Berkeley co-ed visited by a 16th
century Korean ghost with an agenda. What possible connection could there be
between these two? Well, that you can discover for yourself because I’m not
going to spill it.
The same mystery plays out in Morrison’s novel Beloved.
When the baby ghost emerges from the waters one day, no one at first knows she
is the daughter of Sethe, who, years before, made what she considered a
sacrifice in order to break the cycle of slavery. In Roberts’ Black Rose,
horticulturalist Roz is tormented by an angry ghost, later joining forces with
said ghost, only to discover that they are blood-related. I find this twist
brings an added layer of poignancy to fiction or film.
5.
Finally, What
Matters Most Is What Lies Beneath the Surface.
What Lies Beneath is, in my opinion, an underrated
movie. For me, this film has it all—beautiful Claire Spenser (Michelle
Pffeifer) as a troubled mom sending her daughter to college, Harrison Ford as
the dynamic husband, and the house (and bathtub) with minds of their own.
Claire must confront her fears, face her ghosts (both real and personal), and
uncover a truth that, though it brings terror and wreckage, will ultimately set
her (and us) free.
So, there you have it. Life lessons from a most unnatural
source. And whether ghosts are real or merely metaphor, they have much to teach.
Thank you for joining me today as we wandered through some
movies and novels in search of hidden clues to our lives. By the way, I highly
recommend all of these books and films for your seasonal ghostly entertainment! Please be sure to share
your own beloved spirits and themes in the comments below.
And thank you, Melissa, for this wonderful opportunity to
discuss one of my favorite topics: ghosts!
Deb Atwood earned her MFA from Saint Mary’s College where
she received the Agnes Butler Scholarship for Excellence in Fiction. Her short
story “The Gift” took first place in the Robert V. Williams Memorial Contest.
The judge, poet Alejandro Murguia, cited “good details heightened to luminous
clarity, an ending that resonates like a Buddhist bell.”
. In addition to the novel Moonlight Dancer, Deb’s
publications include Natural Bridge, Tales of Academic Survival, Tattoo
Highway, Under the Sun and The Writing Lab. Deb is currently
at work on the novels The Circle Line and Poseidon and Me.
She lives with her husband and rescue dog Nala in the
Pacific Northwest, her human children having already flown the nest.
Goodreads Synopsis:
Kendra JinJu MacGregor can resist neither the antique Korean doll in the dusty warehouse nor the handsome Hiro Peretti who sells it to her.
Once she brings the doll home, Kendra pays little attention to misplaced objects or her beloved dog’s fear. That is, until one terrifying night forces her to question her very sanity. Soon, the ethereal, brooding NanJu manifests herself, and Kendra begins her travels through time to 16th century Korea into a history of conflict and intrigue. For Kendra is about to discover the dark past of her ghostly visitor.
Now it’s up to Kendra, with Hiro by her side, to interpret the past and prevent murder. Everything depends upon Kendra’s success, even—she discovers to her horror—her own life.
Sounds interesting doesn't it??
Now, for the giveaway!
Giveaway Details:
The giveaway is for 1 15 dollar Amazon GC, 10 Signed Postcards, 5 Coffee Mugs
There will be 16 winners
The giveaway is open to residents of the US ONLY
This giveaway will run until 12:01 EST on 10-1-12
Winners will be notified by email and will have 48 hours to respond to their notification email before another winner is chosen.
You DO NOT have to be a follower of Melissa's Midnight Musings to enter. Anyone who does choose to follow is appreciated. :)
There are no mandatory entries, do as many or as few as you like.
All entries will be verified, any false entries will be removed.
The author, not Melissa's Midnight Musings is responsible for the shipment of prizes to the winners.
This giveaway is NOT associated, sponsored nor endorsed by Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, or any other social media site.
22 comments:
Great post and you touched on some cool truths!
Hi, Kim. I'm glad you liked it. Thanks for reading!
I thought "The Orphanage" was a great ghost story movie.
Hi Flora,
I agree. The Orphanage had such emotion and mystery and atmosphere. It's one of my favorites.
I enjoyed "The Ghost Orchid". I liked the post and I will recall her list of the truth for life a long time. Thank you for the chance to win. A very interesting book by Deb Atwood!
Cyndee Thomas
cyndee(dot)thomas0(at)gmail(dot)com
Hi Cyndee,
Yes, I reviewed The Ghost Orchid and, like you, found it a good read with lovely, lyrical language.
Good luck with the contest!
That was a fun read, and referenced many great movie. I was just thinking about The Orphanage the other day and how I need to rewatch it in October. It has been a few year. One of my more recent favorite fall films.
Hi Carl,
I think I've seen The Orphanage three times. I'd like to see The Gift again, and if I can summon the nerve, Poltergeist (probably the scariest movie I've ever seen). Then, naturally, on Halloween, it's Hocus Pocus.
This was quite an informative and interesting read. Definitely got me thinking! Thank you for the enjoyable read.
I really liked ruined by paula morris. thank you!
Hi Tabby,
I'm glad you tuned in. Thanks for reading!
Hi Carrie,
I definitely need to check out Ruined. One of my students liked that one also. I love ghosts and old cemeteries! Thanks for the recommendation.
Truthfully one of my favorites is Ghost with Patric Swayze
I'm with you, Heather. The movie Ghost has it all--suspense, eerie atmosphere, humor, and romantic love. I wish I could turn it on right now and settle into that pottery wheel scene...
Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz is an awesome ghost story!
I love the movie Just Like Heaven. So funny. :)
I would have to say for a movie, Casper...cant go wrong with a movie from my childhood... :)
Lady in White is a classic older ghost movie :-)
Lesley,
Yes, I read three of Koontz's Thomas books. Of those, I think Odd Thomas is the best. My favorite Koontz book with ghosts is The Face. I especially recommend that one in the audio version.
Cassandra,
I also liked Just Like Heaven. Reese Witherspoon did a fantastic job in that one. (I also loved her in Walk the LIne even though there were no ghosts in that one!)
Rachel,
Lady in White is a good classic film. It's one of those movies I like better than the book. (Believe it or not, I feel the same way about Woman in Black.)
In the novel Woman in White I didn't love the way the author portrayed the women characters--either weak and in need of male protection or strong but "mannish" and ugly.
the Movie Ghost is one of my all time favorites
Hi Wendi,
I love Ghost, too! It never gets old.
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