Supernatural In American Fiction And Soceity

13 Pages 3126 Words

“The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind
of fear is fear of the unknown.”1 Therefore, it makes sense that if mortals cannot bear the
darkness, they [should not] not go there. If man dislikes “black night and yawning chasms,”2
then should he not even consider them? Shouldn’t man seek out the sunshine, instead? The
remedy is very simple: Avoid the darkness and seek the light. But, no. Mankind would never
submit to this. He will immediately turn to the darkness. Drawn by his own cords of fear and
longing, man will imagine that he is tired of the light and his small, familiar world.3 “No
amount of rationalization... or Freudian analysis” can overcome “the thrill of the chimney-corner
whisper or the lonely wood.”4 Why? Children will always be afraid of the dark and men will
always shudder at what they do not understand, yet everyone will continue to seek it.5 Perhaps it
is because society, particularly American society because of its history, believes the final horrors
are ghosts and demons, when truly it is the hidden aspects of its own soul.6 As reflected by its
literature, American society has always held a deep fascination with the supernatural. Evidence
of this is seen throughout American history, from the Puritan era onward.
In modern society, one would think that there isn’t any place for fantasy and
superstitions, but the United States is full of people who are convinced that psychics can predict
their future, they have ghosts living in their houses, aliens visit the Earth in flying saucers, and
even that they can talk to the dead.7 People believe in the supernatural because they want to
believe, because it makes them happy, even if those beliefs exist against logic or opposing
evidence.8 In Detroit, “ghost-busting is back big time,” with “at least five ‘ghost hunting’ clubs”
springing up in the metro area.9 The Great ...