Lessons in Fairy Tales

"In reality childhood is deep and rich. It's vital, mysterious and profound. I remember my own childhood vividly...I knew terrible things...But I knew I mustn't let adults know I knew...it would scare them." 

-Maurice Sendak

I first read this quote when reading Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman to my parents last year. It is a quote from the author of Where the Wild Things Are. It struck me as relevant to what we were discussing in class, and to the extra credit reading. Children are often more conscious about certain mysteries and wonders in life than we, as adults, are. I'm sure everyone can think of multiple children's stories that all share the premise of things that children can see or believe in that adults cannot. For example, in Hayao Miyazaki's My Neighbor Totoro the two little girls, Satsuki and Mei, see and believe in Totoro the "keeper of the forest." However, in a scene taking place in their back yard, it shows the girls with Totoro and the father, looking out of the window, unable to see Totoro. The father interestingly enough expresses his belief that Mei had met Totoro, yet he is unable to see him. Another example, one we all know, is Santa Claus. Children vehemently believe that Santa Claus exists. I remember that magic on Christmas morning primarily came from the idea that someone had been inside our house and left us presents, ate our cookies, and made reindeer tracks in the snow (my parents were creative). Yet, like everyone else, as I grew I up, I stopped believing. I became a skeptic in my parents wonderfully laid out plans. In the Narnia Chronicles, Susan is the only one unable to enter the kingdom because she traded in her wonder, curiosity, and love of mystery for makeup and the desire to be grown up. Professor Leeper wrote that children's literature helps him rediscover the role of mystery in his life, and I think this is a nice way to put it. Children ask fundamental questions that need to be continually brought up again and questioned later in life. It is important to never grow out of asking questions, and to never grow out of the willingness to fight dragons to obtain the answers. Children's literature helps us not to forget such things.

I highly recommend reading this book. Neil Gaiman has such an imaginative mind, and this book really relates to the themes we've been discussing. He also wrote Coraline, American Gods, and the Sandman comics, for those of you who might know him from those.

This strange creature is still in Japan. Probably.