John D. Crossan parallels story to life. This essay will examine several aspects of story. First, I will examine the relationship between story and humans' lives and how it is limited by language. Second, I will examine the differences between myths and parables and their polar opposition within the field of a story. Third, I will examine the Prodigal Son to illuminate the necessary elements of a parable. Stories serve to define humans' reality and the use of specific types of stories evokes different reactions from their audience. Myths will seek to comfort but parables seek to challenge.
Crossan claims humans create the world they live in and reality they experience through language and story. Anything disconnected from humans' imagination or language is unknowable. Asking what exists beyond the limits of the story should appear as strange as asking a sterile woman what occupation her child would have assumed. Reality exists as human knowledge shared amongst us. Or, as Crossan puts it, "I am not saying we cannot know reality. I am claiming what we know is reality, is our reality here together and with each other" (25).
Jus as our physical lives remain limited by death, a story is limited by language. Therefore our reality remains limited by our use of language. Nonetheless, one should not view life as simply a story. One should understand only story matters. Therefore, humans should stop lamenting of their inability to understand life outside the story and attempt to learn everything about the story itself. Crossan states, "My suggestion is that the excitement of transcendental experience is found that the understanding of the one is al ...