Last semester I had the opportunity to take a Young Adult Fiction class. We had to read a total of 25 books by the end of the semester and we had to cover certain categories. For my fantasy choice, I chose to read the controversial "The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman. You can read a little bit about the book and its being banned here.
I decided to read the book for a couple reasons. I saw the movie in theaters and that generally encourages me to read the book if I haven't already. Also I must admit that the controversy is part of what enticed me to read it. After seeing the movie, I couldn't really see what the big deal was. I knew there was apparently meant to be Atheist theology embedded in the story but I couldn't see it (most likely because they appear more in the book than the movie :) go figure). So I decided I couldn't judge the story for myself until I actually read it.
Here's a little background for those of you who don't know already. The book is set in a world much like our own. However, each person has a daemon, which is essentially a person's soul that follows them around in animal form. The protagonists are a young orphan girl by the name of Lyra and her daemon, Pan. It's one of your innocent embarking on a journey type of stories. There are a group of people known as Gobblers who capture children that they think won't be missed such as orphans. Lyra's quest first starts when her best friend, Roger, is captured by the Gobblers. To make this summary very, very brief, Lyra must travel to the north to save her friend and disrupt the work of an organization called the Magisterium. Where does the golden compass fit in? The compass, known as the Aletheomiter if I remember correctly, will answer any question as long as you know how to read it. It was given to Lyra, but she soon finds that there are people who would do anything to get it from her hands and keep her from fulfilling the destiny that she doesn't even know she is meant to be a part of.
At first I didn’t think I was going to like the book. It was okay, but it didn’t pull me in from the start. I also found the beginning a bit confusing. In one aspect that works with the story as we view the story through Lyra’s eyes, and she knows very little of the world outside of Oxford where she grew up. However, it took a long time for Pullman to explain what daemons are and the sort of laws or taboos that come with them. When he finally does describe them, we only get small bits at a time, so a complete picture isn’t created until at least halfway through the book.
I really began to enjoy the book from about the time Lyra meets an armored bear, Iorek Byrnison, to the end. She meets Iorek halfway through the book FYI. That is where I began to feel connected to the characters and that drive to finish just so I could know what happened. That alone makes me want to read the rest of the series. As far as the controversy is concerned (most of it actually stems from the third book in the series), Pullman doesn’t hide the fact that the Magisterium is essentially a branch of the Catholic Church. The Magisterium also conducts experiments on children which may also be open to controversy. Neither of these things bothered me when I read the book. I was a little bothered by the children experimentation when I saw the movie since slthough we don't see them being probed or tortured or anything, we see the aftermath when Lyra finds one of the children who has escaped.
I suggest that you don't judge this book by it's controversy before you try to read it for yourself. There are plenty of banned/challenged books that are wonderful. Have a look for yourself! Or even a second glance! Now I understand that some books have been banned reasonably, so be wise in your choices. But there are challenged books Madeliene L'Engle's "A Wrinkle in Time" that I just have to stand up for!
There are two more books that follow "The Golden Compass" which are "The Subtle Knife" and "The Amber Spyglass".
No comments:
Post a Comment