The "Myth" of Childhood Fairy Tales - Kate Bennett

  As this semester comes to a close, I am reminded of some of the conversations we held at the very beginning of the semester. At one point, we discussed the fact that society foolishly takes myth to be meant only for children, when myth is actually transcendental of age. In fact, while it is not wrong for children to engage in myth as they are young, it is not until adulthood that you can truly process the myth for what it is. 

I am reminded of the Harry Potter series when I consider this theme. I never read the Harry Potter series, or watched the movies, as a child. Aside from the very generic references that float around everywhere on the internet, I knew about the series’ content. Just two years ago, when I was 19, I began reading the series for the first time. Although I have no way of truly knowing how I would have perceived the books as a child, I am already aware of some notions that I would not have picked up on in my youth. Conflicts that persisted in the series, such as the constant tension between wizards and non-wizards, were actually a disguise of what would simply be considered racism in the primary world. Taken organically, Harry Potter tells of a long-term battle that exists primarily between two kinds of people, those who are families made purely of wizards, and those from families that involve both wizards and non-wizards. However, as one matures and comes to process the information further, it becomes clear that this is simply a recollection of the malice that already exists in the world. If I read this content as a child, I would be able to understand that this tension was morally wrong, but I doubt I would be able to attribute it to the realities of primary life. Ultimately, I appreciate that myth is preservable through all stages of life. It is incredibly impressive for a myth-maker, a sub-creator, to be able to convey lessons that are durable enough to withstand the test of time. This was incredibly apparent as I read the Chronicles of Narnia as well, which was originally intended to be a children’s book, but I only experienced it for my first time this year. I might take this as a sign to go back to all of my children’s books and consider the deeper themes at hand.