Old Friends Revisited
A few days ago, I said that I was spending my time rereading some favorite novels that I read a long time ago. I have come to realize that rereading a favorite book is like visiting an old friend that I haven’t seen in years. In revisiting these old friends, I have come to discover that the characters in these stories whether heroes or villains are cherished friends.
How can I ever forget Frodo, Gandalf, Pippin or Merry? Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn? Elizabeth Bennet or Mr. Darcy? Let’s not forget Tom and Ma Joad. Ahab, Ishmael, and Starbuck grace the halls of my memories. Who can forget Dimmesdale, Hester , Pearl or Chillingworth? Or Pip, Estella, and Miss Havishham. There are many other friends too numerous to mention.
In addition to the characters are the famous opening lines. Openers like:
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way—in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.”
Or:
“Call me Ishmael.”
Yes. Old friends all. So when I read about the current wave of book banning and burning, I am filled with fury and disgust. While one may not mind seeing Chillingworth consigned to the flame, remember that little Pearl is also suffering the punishment of the damned along with Chillingworth.
It is the fate of memorable characters to suffer at the hands of the ignorant and stupid.
As for Ishmael, I couldn't stand his raving in the first chapter and put the book down. Perhaps I should try to get back to reading it again, but alas, I'm not reading books very much anymore, so immersed in writing like this to others and writing my own, continual stories that I can't turn off to read.
I think book banning is opening the door to book burning. And I'm also disgusted when people decide that they are the gods of censorship instead of letting people read what they want, regardless of age. Reading never hurt anyone. Keeping people from the truth, does.
I am trying to remove some old books I inherited that may go on to better sources because I have never read them and some are classics that my grandmother acquired through Book-of-the-Month subscription back in the 1930s and 40s. Yesterday, we took pictures of Lady Chatterley's Lover for putting it up for sale. I would like to go back and visit Lady Chatterley again, surprised that she was written nearly 100 years ago. But the book banners wouldn't want me to reacquaint myself with her because she was so naughty. Everyone loves naughty over nice. Don't they know that? I think I've got Lolita, too.
Ron