Which came first, the story or the thought?
They told me there was nothing out there, nothing to fear. But the night my parents were murdered I caught a glimpse of something. I’ve looked for it ever since. I went around the world, searched in all the shadows. And there is something out there in the darkness, something terrifying, something that will not stop until it gets revenge… Me.
Bruce Wayne: Batman Begins
As I continue to think about the great weekend I had, I realised a trend in my likes.
For example, I have always been a fan of Batman and other superheroes. Have you ever noticed how they all seem to have lost their parents and been raised by someone else? Batman’s were killed in front of him, Superman’s were blown to smithereens along with his entire planet, the DC version of The Question grew up in foster care and started his life wanting to know who he was. The sidekicks were also usually orphans.
Then there are the tv shows/movies. TimeCop’s main character was in foster care and then adopted. Deep Space Nine has Odo, who spends the first half of the series searching then the second half trying to fit in and get both sides of his family to make peace with each other. Pretender and his search for a family he barely remembers while staying ahead of those who kidnapped him as a child. CSIs (pick one) is all about finding the story behind the mystery. Recently, I netflixed Farscape, a story about a human that gets sucked thru a wormhole and ends up in a distant part of the galaxy with a ragtag band of aliens who are all looking for their homes. Don’t forget Star Wars, a story about a young man who was raised by his aunt and uncle who gets tied up with someone who lets him know he has a sister who was adopted and later finds his dad and starts on a journey to save him. Even Doctor Who has the wandering traveler theme, trying to make friends but never fitting in anywhere, even at home.
The books as well. My personal favorite is White Wing by Gordan Kendall, a tale about the remants of humanity who are fighting alongside a group of different aliens to defeat what amounts to galatic drug runners. One of the main characters goes thru a ton of stuff and in the end finds a home with his people and the truth behind a lot of secrets.
Hmm, some linking there? Even as a child, I would write stories for class or for fun that would always involve some stranger without a family who would be the hero. This was before I even knew the story of Batman other than the campy Adam West version. (Which is still funny but not really Batman per se.)
So why though? I have a good family. I am not one of the adoptees who were adopted for show or because the parents wanted to fix something.
As I have discussed before, I have always been a bit of a loner, or at least standing on the edge. I never felt I fit in anywhere so maybe I could just relate to these people. I wonder how much reading or seeing these stories influenced how I react to adoption stuff or how much my adoption stuff made me relate to the stories.
February 22nd, 2007 at 4:59 am
Those are some interesting thoughts. I don’t know if they are specific to being adopted or not.
My brother who is the biological son of my parents wrote many stories and watched TV shows with similar themes.
I was always fascinated by shows and books with large family themes. Brady Bunch, Partridge Family, Hardy Boy type stuff.
February 22nd, 2007 at 9:50 am
Well, I was adopted and I have always loved sci fi - and I am a HUGE fan of CSI (especially the original). As I read your post, Dan, I thought also of “Daneel,” the robot/android in Asimov’s robot series and also of Data from Star Trek TNG. Both wanted so much to be human, to fit in.
I do think this is about relating to others who don’t feel they fit in. Another adoptee, Jessie, wrote about not fitting in in her blog post “Silver Linings.” I can’t insert hyperlinks here, but she is at http://orchidsnowfairy.wordpress.com/. It’s a wonderful post.
I also think the attraction to sci fi among many adoptees has to do with feeling like an alien - a kind of twist on the not-fitting-in feeling. I thought for sure I was from another planet when I was a little kid. I tried SO HARD to figure out what it was “they” wanted me to do here so I could do it and get back “home.”
February 23rd, 2007 at 6:59 am
i always had a pretty good view of my childhood. i never felt like i was missing out on anything, becasue my a parents always did what was best for me. when i finally did my birthsearch and found where i came from , i was even more glad to have been where i was. i don’t regret finding my b family. i learned alot of why i am the way i am. i learned a medical history which is very important to me. i understand why the adoption took place and for the most part, the reasoning behind it. i accepted it and moved forward. if i carried around the what ifs and the shoulda coulda’s i would be so weighted down i would not be able to function. so i let it go.
following your journey…………poet