Entertainment or Warning?

     An essay by Elizabeth Friend called "The Lessons of Lore" is about finding the truths and morals in ghost stories. When you think ghost story the spooks and mysterious creatures that terrorize teenagers in make out points probably pops into mind, but some tall tales are weaved with a lesson in mind. Are ghost stories just for entertainment, or are they a warning stemmed from the changing of the times? 

    Ghost stories are not factual. They might have started out based on a true sighting or experience but it's like a game of telephone, after being shared through the generations it has changed drastically. The story that the article follows was meant to be more sad than scary, and it was more real than the usual fabled tales, so it resided deeper with more people. It was the story about Lydia, a ghostly hitchhiker who disappeared when drivers stopped to help. A few people were emotionally driven to find out the truth behind the sightings but all they could find were loose end theories. Friend states, "On the way to becoming Lydia's story, the details of Annie's narrative may have blended with those of other automobile deaths involving young women in the area." Annie being a woman who passed away due to a fatal crash similar to Lydia's, was thought to be Lydia herself but it was just a theory. Many believe the tale was made up as a warning to women due to the changing times. If women didn't stick to their traditional ways this was what would happen.

    I think ghost stories are made mostly for scaring people for entertainment, but there are some that are made with a lesson or warning in mind. Made to be passed along at slumber parties, to stick with the young people told the stories, and warn of changing times and the challenges the young people may face as they transition to adulthood.


Work Cited


 Friend, Elizabeth. “The Lessons of Lore.” Longreads, 29 October 2024, longreads.com/2024/10/29/lydia-ghost-story-folklore-north-carolina/.

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