Throughout the work King argues that stories are powerful. He frequently remarks that “the truth about stories is that that’s all we are” (2). King describes creation myths and suggests that the creation myth we believe has the power to form the society we live in so that, if we were to believe the earth was formed through cooperation rather than conflict, we might end up creating a more cooperative society. What makes stories powerful is that they are believed to be true, even if they are not true.

King also suggests that the historical record is itself a story, one that likewise informs the present. For example, if people believe a story of Indians as savages who needed to be civilized, they will justify racist laws that treat Native peoples as savages who need to be civilized. King also describes the story told by images that have their own power, as images give everyone the power to imagine what a person should look like or be and reject others who do not fit that image. In each case King expands the definition of stories to include basically anything that can be imagined or conceived as a

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