Does the fiction writer have an obligation to present moral questions for reflection?

Question

Please no one word answers, try answering in a few sentences, and explain a little? Thank You.

Answer 1

A fiction writer has a single obligation, and that is to the work. The audience is only theoretical and, in my opinion, should be the farthest thing from the creative mind.  

Answer 2

I think fiction writers can write about anything they like. It can have a moral lesson in the ed, or it can teach the reader something, it can even criticize certain aspects of society. Some books can just be meant to entertain and amaze, and fulfill the readers' childhood fantasies or they can just be for fun. It all depends, in my opinion, on the story. It depends on what the story means to the writer. Every story has a hidden meaning, but it's not always intentional, it can just come with the story and characters. They are human after all. I don't think the writer should feel obliged to do anything, as long as they are satisfied with their work and think it's meaningful. The only thing they have to worry about is wether it's something people would want to read.

Answer 3

Not really, I think some authors like to do that when they consider their works of "deeper meaning" they like to provide these questions so that you can reflect on the material and come to the conclusion they intend you to. Some authors, however, enjoy just letting you think what you wish.  

Answer 4

It's up to them. A writer is an artist. They can use whatever tools they want, moral questions included, to tell their story. No work of fiction has to follow any certain rules. That's why there are so many different genres. People keep pushing what they want to too. It results in more dynamic choices of books.  

Answer 5

No. The fiction writer has an obligation to entertain his readers.  

Answer 6

Most fiction writers, while using a medium (fiction) some think of as 'fluff,' have messages in their stories. If you even think about fairy tales and/or stories passed down orally for generations, some which include talking animals, the 'little people,' etc., you will realize that many of those stories have a 'moral,' such as being kind to others even when you don't know know them (Cinderella).

Straight fiction books also most often deliver a message about either behavior, society, manners, and/or the lack of them. Think about Anna Karenina or Pride and Prejudice.

Writers of humor and satire usually have messages tucked into their fiction stories as well; particularly, of course, satire. Satire usually involves a broad tale about nearly anything, but the story will have a 'bite' to it, one directly involved with a theme (or 'moral') a writer wants to get across regarding society or some aspect of it as the author sees it, as in Vonnegut's Cat's Cradle or Heller's Catch-22.

Humor seems to most often go hand in hand with satire, but even a book seemingly written only to amuse and/or entertain, such as The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn or The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, have messages in them about society.

Which leads right into science fiction, often looked down upon as totally unreal and unrelated to our lives, and which also usually has a 'message' from the writer directly to his or her readers about society or behavior. Think about 1984 or Ender's Game. If you're familiar with any of the books mentioned above, you probably see what is meant in this answer.

A writer is not 'obliged' to include anything not wanted in his or her writing, but most writers write because they DO have something to say about the world around them, 'even' by writing about it as fiction.