The Hanks Touch

In observing that “the best movies are the ones that don’t have bad guys versus good guys, but just people where you understand everybody’s motivations,” Tom Hanks has hit on what makes novels and fictional movies magical (“Average Joe Versus the Icons,” by Amy Wallace, Nov. 7).

Only in fiction can we ever know anyone else’s motives, let alone everyone else’s. In real life, we’re considered well-adjusted just to know our own motives. But it’s these conflicting, secret motives that create the drama of great stories, including the true ones we live.

JEFFREY J. DENNING

Long Beach