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| Still from "Pinocchio" (1940; dir. by Sharpsteen and Luske) |
The narrator images a fairy tale life for her husband, the headhunter (a.k.a corporate recruiter), in which he "would be a mysterious merchant, a stranger blowing through town on the wind. . . . He would arrive in a place and go door-to-door and sell mortals another life that could be theirs. His powers would hinge on the irresistibility of snow not trodden on--all the paths you've never walked down" (12).
Do you think it is significant--or ironic--that this fantasy profession of selling mortals "another life" might also be a descriptor of the work of a novelist (like Yee) who offers readers the opportunity to imagine themselves as different people (like the narrator)?
Is the sinister warning that "if you don't read the fine print, [the merchant]'ll make off with your children" in any way relevant to the dangers of reading? In what way, might reading create a rift between parents and their children?
It is quite ironic that the profession that Yee describes parallels her own. Although I am unsure of whether or not Yee realized how similar her own profession is to the one she describes, the warning she includes about the merchant taking one’s children if one does not read the fine print makes me think she might have realized how similar they are. In reading an authors work you expose yourself to their beliefs and way of thinking, even if these beliefs are not explicitly stated in the book. While it is possible that exposure to an author’s beliefs could turn children against their parents I think the more likely scenario is the author selling you their own beliefs and running off with yours or dismantling your belief system.
ReplyDeleteThe comment above is mine. I’ve forgotten to change my name from anonymous once again, my apologies.
DeleteA big theme in the book is her own sense of neurotic paralysis, her own low=self esteem that keeps her from pushing herself for most of her life up until the events of the book force her to take more agency for herself. In this sense, Sam is the opposite, and she both envies and fears those traits as something that could make her feel inadequate to her children, which in a sense would be "stealing" their respect and adoration of her.
ReplyDeleteIt is ironic to me that the job she describes Sam having is very similar to hers in a way. Sam offers people a new kind of life while Yee gives us insight into what another kind would be like. The sinister warning doesn't seem very relevant to reading to me. It seems more to me like a warning to a parent giving their child something to distract them. These things might include a book but I mainly think of electronics. If you don't look into what the book could be about or what things you're letting your child see by giving them an electronic, you risk having their beliefs changed by it and creating a wedge between you and your child.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I think it is ironic that Yee describes Sam's profession in a way that could be seen to mirror her own offering of lives she creates through her writing. In this imaginary world, Sam offers people a way to walk down a path to a new way to live. In comparison, Yee offers a new world for the reader to jump into as they live another life through the eyes of the narrator. As you read such types of works, it is possible to get lost in the world and its ideas, and for those ideas to carve their way into your beliefs. This could be relevant to the dangers of reading. Reading such types of ideas could create a rift between parents and their children because they may see their parents actions through the eyes of the character's and react as such.
ReplyDelete