Hello, I have a very skeptical character in my story who believes everything is meaningless! She is at a concert. She wants to say that the people here are trying make their lives meaningful by coming to a concert. What "verb" can I use with meaning? Please read this sentence and let me know what you think. Ever the skeptic, she just stood there, indifferent to the music and the people she thought were there to bring some meaning into their lives by shimmying in their seats in a pointless concert. How would you say it?
Given that the character is a nihilist (one who believes that life does not have an intrinsic meaning or purpose), I would imagine the character sees the idea of life having a core meaning or purpose as a fantasy, as wishful, magical thinking, thus: invoke or conjure
What do you think about this sentence? Ever the skeptic, she just stood there, indifferent to the music and the people she thought were there to invoke some meaning into their lives by shimmying in their seats in a pointless concert. Does "invoke into" work?
First I don't think skeptic is the word you're looking for, she's a nihilist not a skeptic. Skepticism is a rejection of firm beliefs without extensive evidence and ideally questions all 'truths' including the belief that nothing has meaning. Personally I feel like find or create might work better. Because while a nihilist rejects the notion of objective meaning, they aren't necessarily opposed to subjective meaning. Though maybe this character is, in which case the comparing meaning to magic works and so invoke or conjure would be good picks. I think invoke into sounds fine, though I think conjure into might be better. Invoke seems like your summoning some type of entity by speaking its name, whereas conjure seems more like creating magic from nothing, hence more appropriate in this instance. Though that's just my take.
I like "conjure." Like Wreybies said, it makes it sound like they're trying to magically make their lives meaningful through some ritual. Also, I'm pretty sure your character isn't just a "sceptic" but actually, like, clinically depressed. Even nihilists can enjoy music.
