I've been enjoying the coverage of the movie the Golden Compass. I've listened to several reports about concerned parents, upset religious groups, opinionated theologians, pleased moviegoers and critics. In all the debate I'm becoming convinced that I may be the only person who has actually read all three books of Philip Pullman's Dark Material Series. And Aaron, because I made him read it too.
In 1995 I came across The Golden Compass in Lexington SC's trailer of a public library at the tender age of 12. I saw a blue-ish book with a girl riding a polar bear and I thought this is going to be good!
It was. I immediately became a hard core atheist. Just kidding! The book was fantastic. Lyra, the girl on the cover, is one of the strongest, most resourceful, and empowering heroines you could hope for. The story was mysterious, imaginative and beautiful. In Lyra's world every person's soul is manifest in the form of a "daemon" which takes the form on an animal mirroring their personality. Children's daemon's shape shift until their identities become more certain.
In Book One, Lyra and her daemon Pan find out that children are being kidnapped and taken into the north for gruesome experiments. When her best friend Roger is snatched, she sets off in an attempt to save him. Meanwhile, the authorities realize Lyra fits some prophesies and possesses a very special tool, so they pursue her. The book follows Lyra through adventure and intrigue to the very edge of the world.
Reading it, I laughed, I cried, I gripped the pages so tightly my knuckles turned white. The book's ending left me sobbing. SOBBING. I cried harder than I had ever cried for a book. SPOILER SPOILER: The authorities experiments provide a way to destroy someone's soul, so not only kill them physically but completely annihilate them. Destroying a soul releases a massive amount of power which they use to break into a higher spiritual dimension. After witnessing the killing Lyra is determined the death will be avenged. End of book one.
With that kind of ending I snatched up The Subtle Knife as soon as it came out which was 1997 (age 14). Turns out the bad guys who did the soul destroying have a plan to climb higher and higher through the spiritual dimensions to do battle with god who they call The Authority. They're creating a kind of Tower of Babel to topple a god they believe is oppressive and damning. They want to restart things, reorganize, recreate the mortal existence with Lyra as Eve.
The mortals and heavenly hosts assemble to different sides and war begins. An earth kid, Will comes along. With a powerful knife he assists Lyra to continue to break through dimensions. A pair of gay angels appear to assist the kids along.
The Amber Spyglass 2000 (age 17) continues the adventure. Lyra and Will go into the world of the dead to try to help free the souls trapped there by The Authority.
Lyra is pursued by a murderous monk who has already been pardoned by the church for murdering Lyra, the plan being if Lyra is killed, no new Eve, no new world. Everyone runs around, battles are fought, The Authority is killed but instead of choosing to begin things again, Lyra declines the role of Eve, seals the dimensions and everyone lives happily ever after. Whew.
It's kind of a hard series to summarize. I had to leave out dust which is a the particulate matter of sin, soul sucking zombies, the air balloonist, gypsies, witches and the rabbits on wheels. I liked the books. I think they give a great opportunity to really consider spiritual and mortal existence. I obviously disagree with the author's representation of God's character but it's a book which gives a good hard look at what it means to have a soul, to live under the authority of God, to exist immortally. How many books have enough faith in teens to let them grapple with such wonderful questions?
Sadly Pullman's questioning is quickly overwhelmed by his own assetions. In the last two books he gets preachy, really preachy, knocking out questions with quick sometimes tacky answers about the impossibility or evil of an omniscient deity.
So shield your eyes or go see the movie. I don't really care. But it is about killing god. And the nature of our souls. And riding Polar Bears.
3 comments:
I have had a lot of people bringing up the Golden Compass. I have also received many emails from concerned parents about the bad influence the movie might have on my child. So, Abby, of course gets the book out to reread it--which means everywhere we go, I get asked about "letting my child" read that book. I read Golden Compass because you guys (Katy, Amy and Robby) told me it was good. I liked it, too. I didn't like the other two as much...I do believe people are too quick to jump to assumptions. I think it might be fun to see the movie. I know God lives and loves us...I don't think a movie is going to convince me otherwise.
I'm reading it right now and it is pretty good so far...
I loved the books and made Steve read them too. They're interesting! I don't understand when people make so much hoopla about kids' movies like this and harry potter being about devil worship and aetheism.
Having read the golden compass at a very young age (and sequels), I have to admit that I loved the part about animal companions being part of your soul and the whole adventure of lyra... BUT I didn't really pick up on the aetheistic leanings-- I just interpretted it as another lesson in moral behavior: Kindness to animals and altruism = good, soul splitting and kidnapping children = bad.
Perhaps I'm over-simplifying it, but do people actually think they're children will be corrupted into aetheists or wicca by this kind of material? that I do not understand.
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