I am a sucker for books for children that don’t have cheesy messages usually favored by adults. Many adult writers want to aggressively instill “good morals” in children like “Always obey your parents!” and “Don’t be naughty!” But not all children have wonderful parents or caretakers they can trust, and sometimes authority is wrong. Sometimes children are smarter and righter than adults. That’s why I love the A Series of Unfortunate Events books from my childhood.
In A Series of Unfortunate Events, the Baudelaire children’s parents die in a fire. After that traumatizing event, they’re placed in the care of a variety of different caretakers, all who fail in some way to protect the children like a caretaker should. So the children often have to take care of themselves, and stand up to evil using their own skills. Adults are either portrayed as evil or stupid, which some readers may say is too exaggerated but I say captures those feelings in childhood of not being listened to or trusted just because you’re a child. It’s also a commentary on how many adults trust authority too much, as they fail to question how unfair the Baudelaires’ situation is.
“Who will take care of us out there?” Klaus said, looking out on the flat horizon.
“Nobody,” Violet said. “We'll have to take care of ourselves.”
Oftentimes in real life, children are the ones who question what is wrong or right because adults are already used to their world. They don’t try as hard to stop what is morally wrong, or evil people like Count Olaf. Or they do want to stop it or are too scared to take action like the children do, as seen in Aunt Josephine, who is terrified of everything. It’s frustrating for the children because they’re terrified too, but the difference is they’re brave enough to fight the evil and survive by protecting each other.
Another layer to these books is the theme of never giving up because of all the light in the world. While most of the adults in the books are frustrating, there are a few characters (who are notably well-read and value wisdom) who are a part of the Volunteer Fire Department, literally and figuratively fighting the fires in the world. People who value intelligence and knowledge often strive to see the world as a better place than it is, while people who don’t bother to educate themselves can be ignorant to the injustice in the world. Also, many clever literary references are made, and the thirteen books each have thirteen chapters, with the exception of the last book with fourteen chapters, showing that their unlucky cycle has been broken.
“At times the world may seem an unfriendly and sinister place, but believe that there is much more good in it than bad. All you have to do is look hard enough, and what might seem to be a series of unfortunate events may in fact be the first steps of a journey.”
Word Count: 480
Annabelle, I do remember the “Unfortunate Events” books! The book, visually, was hard to miss and forget. I loved your literary analysis, and the quotes you included helped me remember them. I thought deeply about the perspective that you took on children and adults. The quote at the end was clever, because it supported the unlucky cycle being broken. Good job!
ReplyDeleteHey Annabelle, I do remember these books! It's been years since I've last read them. Your explanations and how you recognized the themes of the series really helped me remember the genius of the books. These were some of my favorite books and I really hope to go back to them someday. Great analysis!
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