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The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman (and the rest of his Dark Materials)

I like the way fantasy and science fiction novels give me a way to unconsciously wrestle with moral dilemmas while turning pages into another world. I also like to read a book before I see the movie so I picked up Philip Pullman's the Golden Compass because it met two of my "How to Choose a Book Criteria" as the film is due out in December. The stories are compelling - I couldn't just read the first book - but my Catholicism became agitated as I read, for the story's main character is caught in the middle of a violent power struggle between a very restrictive institutional church and scientists who are trying to understand the relationship between childhood innocence and the soul in multiple parallel universes

Pullman writes children's literature from an English classics background as does J.K. Rowlings (Harry Potter), J.R. Tolkein (The Lord of the Rings) and C.S.Lewis, (The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe) but the world he creates on first, second and even third glance appears to be the anti-thesis of their allegories; most especially C. S. Lewis' Narnia. Our young heroine, Lara, has no Aslan (Christ figure) to answer questions, give directions, or even to trust. All the struggles are her own, and while there are many beings who come to her aid, in the end she names for herself the pain, power and joy of selfless love.

Pullman has said in several interviews that Lara's journey was most influenced by John Milton's Paradise Lost, so I turned to this classic poem to see if I could quiet the spiritual discomfort that this series generated in me. In his prologue, Milton calls on "the Spirit" to

"Instruct me, for Thou know'st;
What in me is dark
Illumine, what is low raise and support;
That to the highth of this great Argument
I may assert th' Eternal Providence,
And justifie the wayes of God to men. Paradise Lost Book I *

Pullman's "Spirit" is not God, but Lara, whose innocence, fears, evolving courage and coming of age illuminate the Dark Materials in a way that will bring hope to children who struggle in the parallel universe we call "Middle School." Pullman does not to "justifie the wayes of God to men," but, by making the church's leadership the "bad guy", and removing "God's will" as an explanation for disasters, challenges his readers to explain the dark ways of humanity to ourselves.
Most people will not analyze this story as I have, but some children, and I suspect, many Christians parents may find themselves uncomfortable with the plot line until they realize the dilemmas Lara faces are our own: Are we pleased and proud of the face we show the world? Are we ready to sacrifice ourselves for the greater good? Would we walk into the valley of death to save a friend, not because God tells us to, but because it is the right thing to do? I would like to believe that most of us will do the right thing, but unlike the people in Lara's universe, I count on God's Grace to help me make difficult choices. And, in this universe, I am grateful for people like Phillip Pullman who are able to create worlds and characters that challenge and inspire me to remember that.

* Note on the e-text: this Renascence Editions text was transcribed by Judy Boss in Omaha, Nebraska, and is provided by Renascence Editions with her kind permission. This edition is in the public domain. Content unique to this presentation is copyright 1997 The University of Oregon.

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