Boiling It Down
The other morning, while helping to set up tables and chairs for a women's conference at the church, I overheard one of my co-labourers discussing a book series with another fellow. In the midst of this conversation, I caught this snippet: "I like the Harry Potter series because I can see the story of Christ in it."
I find comments like this quite silly. Not because I think they are reading too much into a story, but, rather, because they are missing the story. They are taking a piece of literature and boiling it down to its most basic elements, which is almost always going to end up having elements of the Gospel in it, because the Gospel is so fundamental to life in general. The problem with this process is that when you boil them down just about every story ends up being the same thing, over and over and over again.
On Friday afternoon, I got to sit in on a sixth grade reading class as part of my substitute teaching assignment, and I watched as the teacher and students filled out a plot diagram. Such a diagram can only exist because every story fits into one. Conflict. Rising action. Climax. Falling action. Resolution. Sure, the parts shift around here and there, but you can find these elements, every time. A plot diagram is a useful tool for helping young people become critical about how they read, but if we are always doing this, we are going to miss out on the substance. And do we really want to spend our lives subsisting on broth?
That being said, I think there is something worthwhile about finding the kernels of truth in any given story. And if someone will return to a story because he (or she) finds those kernels of truth worthwhile, then that is awesome. But I also think there is something worthwhile about reading good literature because it is good. It reminds me of when I was on my mission. For the first 15 months of my labours, I had a bowl of cereal and a glass of orange juice for breakfast, and a peanut butter and strawberry jam sandwich for lunch. Dinner was whatever the members of the church fed us or, when no dinner was offered, occasionally fast food or spaghetti made in the apartment. I like cereal. I like orange juice. I like peanut butter and strawberry jam sandwiches. They are able to provide most of the nutrients I need for the day, and they have the added bonus of being rather inexpensive. But they got boring. The sad thing is that I didn't realise how boring it was until I was with Mijjidorjin Enkh-Amgalan, a fiery-tempered young man from Mongolia. He got me started on eating other things for breakfast and for lunch. It started with a cheese sandwich for lunch, actually. So I started eating other things, not just because they were nutritious, but because they were good.
As I hope it is when you read. I hope you read not just for information, not just because there is truth to it, but because the substance of the story is delicious to the heart, mind, and soul. And don't forget that there's nothing wrong with the occasional sweet treat that is full of empty calories and delicious sugary goodness.
I find comments like this quite silly. Not because I think they are reading too much into a story, but, rather, because they are missing the story. They are taking a piece of literature and boiling it down to its most basic elements, which is almost always going to end up having elements of the Gospel in it, because the Gospel is so fundamental to life in general. The problem with this process is that when you boil them down just about every story ends up being the same thing, over and over and over again.
On Friday afternoon, I got to sit in on a sixth grade reading class as part of my substitute teaching assignment, and I watched as the teacher and students filled out a plot diagram. Such a diagram can only exist because every story fits into one. Conflict. Rising action. Climax. Falling action. Resolution. Sure, the parts shift around here and there, but you can find these elements, every time. A plot diagram is a useful tool for helping young people become critical about how they read, but if we are always doing this, we are going to miss out on the substance. And do we really want to spend our lives subsisting on broth?
That being said, I think there is something worthwhile about finding the kernels of truth in any given story. And if someone will return to a story because he (or she) finds those kernels of truth worthwhile, then that is awesome. But I also think there is something worthwhile about reading good literature because it is good. It reminds me of when I was on my mission. For the first 15 months of my labours, I had a bowl of cereal and a glass of orange juice for breakfast, and a peanut butter and strawberry jam sandwich for lunch. Dinner was whatever the members of the church fed us or, when no dinner was offered, occasionally fast food or spaghetti made in the apartment. I like cereal. I like orange juice. I like peanut butter and strawberry jam sandwiches. They are able to provide most of the nutrients I need for the day, and they have the added bonus of being rather inexpensive. But they got boring. The sad thing is that I didn't realise how boring it was until I was with Mijjidorjin Enkh-Amgalan, a fiery-tempered young man from Mongolia. He got me started on eating other things for breakfast and for lunch. It started with a cheese sandwich for lunch, actually. So I started eating other things, not just because they were nutritious, but because they were good.
As I hope it is when you read. I hope you read not just for information, not just because there is truth to it, but because the substance of the story is delicious to the heart, mind, and soul. And don't forget that there's nothing wrong with the occasional sweet treat that is full of empty calories and delicious sugary goodness.
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