In traditional fables, the main character learns from a major blunder, and the story concludes with a moral meant to summarize the lesson learned. A powerful and succinct narrative in which each component—character, setting, and action—contributes clearly and directly to the story's ending and moral is required while writing a fable. Fabulists use a variety of techniques to make their stories come alive. They may use paradoxes or oxymorons (words that appear to be contradictions in terms) to provoke thought and discussion about what exactly it means to tell a true story. The fabulist may also include elements that seem contradictory or unexpected in order to challenge readers to figure out how everything fits together. For example, a fabulist might have a character act irrationally in order to demonstrate that everyone acts rationally; he or she might also include bizarre or surreal images or events in order to challenge readers' belief systems. Fabulists often take creative liberty in naming characters, places, and things within their stories. This allows them to comment on issues such as history, society, politics, or culture without explicitly taking a position. For example, George Orwell's novel 1984 is an allegory for his views on Big Brotherism and its threat to freedom. J.K. Rowling has said that when she writes about characters other than Harry Potter, she makes up names for them herself instead of using real-life people as sources of inspiration.