Sarah Krueger

With Those We Love Alive incorporates more than just a personal journey and telling of a story, the game assimilates controversial aspects of society into the plot. According to Porpentine, the story is “inspired by mob violence, trash struggle, C-PTSD, and child abuse” (Porpentine). Throughout the game, the author has placed these controversial topics into the story to make the reader think more about the impact of their life in society as well. Some examples of where these societal aspects arise in the story is when the reader, or character, is being forced to make artifacts for the dreaded empress. The empress is made out to be a figure of a nightmare or horror, Porpentine describes her as “Her larval skin floats across the lake like the carcass of a pale leviathan” (Porpentine). During the journey the player/reader is supposed to become a servant to this empress, which most people would not want to.

Although the reader has the ability to explore the grounds of the palace, the reader is still a slave to the empress. Although the world around the reader is beautiful in the descriptions given, the underlying truth of this story is that the reader is being oppressed and possibly kept against their will, and even abused. The reality of society is that many people can be living like this in real life too. Their outside world can seem beautiful and enjoyable but there is a deeper story that most people do not know about. This work of e-literature has many aspects incorporated into it to make it more than just an author telling a story, the author is incorporating the audience into the story.

Alice O'Connor puts the societal aspect of this story into a good point of view, she says "It’s a game about how we create ourselves in the space we’re allowed by society, and how we respond to its demands and the many forms of violence that surround us." (O'Connor). The story is highlighting the fact that the violence can come from society around us and our decisions affect how we respond to that violence. 

This idea of being locked away and only needed when it is convenient for the higher up power is similar to the societal aspects that "Public Secrets" is portraying in that story. Both stories highlight the idea of being locked away, one in a fictitious way and one that is happening in real life.