Tell the truth but tell it slant...

When one thinks about children’s literature normally the first thing they think about is fairytales, princesses, knights in shining armor, rhyming tales of morals, and other things that teach children to become better humans. Everybody across the world grew up with more or less the same sort of tales; the kidnapped princess being saved by her one and only true love. These types of stories usually took the form in Sleeping Beauty or Rapunzel. For years people have been growing up with these stories of make believes and of wonder and nobody seems harmed by them. These are the stories that children are supposed to read, at least that is the social norm; these stories that encourage a happy ending at the conclusion of each tale. Parents constantly want to watch and monitor what their children are putting into their heads. So it would seem that the stories would be age appropriate for children. These are the stories that we want our children reading, right? There is a reason that a lot of stories have been touched by Disney, they seem to be protecting the children from what really happens in these fairytales. In Han Christian Anderson’s version of the Little Mermaid he does not allow her to stay with the Prince. Would children be visibly different if they had always grown up knowing that version instead of Walt Disney’s? What happens when children stop reading the obviously sweet and begin reading stories that have a stronger element of truth to them? Stories like His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman are an excellent example of a new breed of tales that provoke the thought of truth in them. It is important to have truth lining stories for children, if they realize it or not. Children’s literature needs truth just like children need to hear it. They might not completely understand it at the young age they read it at; but as they get older the truth that lined their childhood stories will begin to break loose and stream back into their conscious.
Philip Pullman’s trilogy His Dark Materials including The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass is quite a grown up book geared for children. The main characters, Lyra and Will, are children themselves and throughout these three books they grow up with the reader. The book appeals to children with the thoughts of adventure, witches, and even armored polar bears. The books swarms around fantasy with entrances into different worlds and at first glance one would think that this is truly a children’s book. Pullman actually pulls you in and it is not till later in the novel one realizes that the story revolves around very truthful ideas and thoughts. Based on original sin, religion, and becoming an adult His Dark Materials does not try and trick anybody at any age about what the novel is telling you. Here is a novel that is still teaching lessons and morals like the fairytales people grew up on but here they are laid out for the simplest things, they understand just fine. Dr. Michael Sexson said during lecture on Monday November 24, 2008 that one should not be condescending to children, they are more aware of their surroundings than we may know. In The Amber Spyglass the ghosts are exiting through a hole cut by the Subtle Knife. Mary Malone is actually spoken to by an older female ghost who tells her “Tell them stories. They need the truth. You must tell them true stories, and everything will be well. Just tell them stories” (Pullman, 864). Why cannot parents and other grownups take this idea to heart; the idea that you must tell children true stories and everything will work itself out and be alright. Children can learn easily from hearing stories and becoming more educated on different subjects. Obviously children would not be interested in reading autobiographies on Abraham Lincoln and learning about his struggles with country and heart, or a complete history of the Holocaust. These sorts of stories just cannot hold the attention or imagination of many children. The truth needs to be wrapped up in something that interests the child like magic and the idea of going to different worlds.
Many children, as smart as they may be, do not fully understand what it is that they are reading when they are young. Is it important for them to fully know every single meaning of their stories that they love and adore? They do know that they love the adventure, fantasy, and the love the surrounds most children’s tales and that is what is important when they first read them, and it is not until later that they understand. It is usually later in life when the entire meaning comes to them and what they read as children makes since to them. They had always known but once they are old enough to truly understand that is when the light turns on. Emily Dickinson wrote a poem titled “To Tell the Truth” that encompasses this idea of understanding something you already learned.

Tell all the Truth but tell it slant --
Success in Circuit lies
Too bright for our infirm Delight
The Truth's superb surprise
As Lightning to the Children eased
With explanation kind
The Truth must dazzle gradually
Or every man be blind --
The entire poem is very interesting because throughout the whole thing she capitalizes the word truth showing its importance. It is more than just a word but more of an encompassing body of knowledge that everybody should intimately. The last two lines in particular fall in order with the thought process that slowly but surely the knowledge of truth will be part of your life. As a child if one reads stories like Pullman’s trilogy the entirety of the truth is there but usually the child will not be old enough to comprehend it. When that child is old enough and the truth begins to leak into their conscious mind that is when they can really understand what they read all those years ago.
It is not only Pullman’s trilogy that tangos with truth. Other fairytales are able to get across that what is common maybe not always desirable for children. Like mentioned before, Hans Christian Anderson’s Little Mermaid is not a happy ending story. When the mermaid ends up without her prince at the end of the tale the notion that not everything can end perfect is directly put across. Here there is no gradual of seeping truth later in life, but instead put in front of one to deal with at that moment. Is that too much for children to handle in one sitting, does it need to gradually fall into place for them later in life? Are they Disney versions a must have when teaching children morals through fairytales? Truth is already a rarity in the world in general why not let children see things as they are from an early age? If they want to see what they are reading than they will accept it. If not then maybe to them that little mermaid will meet up with the Prince later after he dies and eventually there will be a happy ending after all. Children are able to learn about truth through these fairytales about magic, princesses, and other worlds. Let them learn this way through books and stories than through the harsh reality of life. Reverend William Slone Coffin was quoted saying “The world is too dangerous for anything but truth and too small for anything but love”. Through these stories and tales children are learning the truth, and there is no too young of age to start.