H is for Hope- A to Z Challenge

H is for hope. No story or even day, is complete without some level of hope. No matter how pessimistic I can be, or you might be, there is always a part of us that hopes that the worst we might be imagining does not come true. The same is true when reading a book or watching a movie. Even when everything seems to be building up to a catastrophic moment, you hope that your favorite character will come out on time, or at least survive. Sometimes it does not happen, just like in real life. But when we get to the last page, there is usually some level of hope that the future of the characters will be better, just like in real life. When we pack it in for the day, there is an innate hope that tomorrow will be a better day, even if we do not acknowledge it.

Hope is what keeps us, and the characters of any story moving forward. The hope that a solution will present itself, that a plan will work, that romance will turn out well, that a problem will be solved. Without that drive they would just sit around and complain. Granted, some characters do that to, but that was covered in my angst post on the 1st.

Have you ever reached the end of a book or movie that had an ending with no hope at all? A story that basically ended with the world over, or all the characters you cared about dead, or just with so much unresolvable that there is no way you can see for things to fix themselves? It is not comfortable moment or ending, and certainly not one I enjoying. It does have its place, and can be en effective ending to deliver a message. It is the very uncomfortable nature in the absence of hope that can make those moments or endings real to the reader.

I still prefer an ending that has a glimmer of hope, even if it is a dim hope. I like to end each day and start each morning the same way, with at least a glimmer of hope that the next moment will be better than the last. And that even when things are at there worst, there will be a moment in the future that is better.