In recent weeks, we have discussed the mature and dark themes that appear in many children’s books. From Amphigorey to The Arrival, we see stories that are stylistically similar to the children’s books that we all know and love, but in fact, have a dark thematic undertone. I have always found adult themes hidden in media designed specifically for children to be interesting. For example, SpongeBob Squarepants is loaded with innuendo and adult jokes. In fact, many cartoons have such components – perhaps to entertain adults who may be watching along with their children. I’m not afraid to admit that I still watch (and enjoy) watching SpongeBob, but I must say that my enjoyment has shifted focus a bit. A lot of jokes that I find myself laughing at now, I do not think I would have understood as a child. This is why I feel that it is sometimes appropriate to integrate some dark humor and subtle adult content into media designed for children (and when I say ‘some’ I certainly mean less than in Amphigorey). Below is an example of humor that a child might not understand, but is funny to an adult. It’s not obscene (although such examples do exist in SpongeBob) but is an example of mature humor nonetheless:
Certainly, as we have discussed in class, this phenomenon is not isolated to television and extends to many children’s books as well. Looking back on some childhood favorites, it is evident that dark themes are abundant. For example, Where the Wild Things Are could be very frightening to a child. After all, playing with monsters on an island isn’t every child’s idea of a good time. An example that hits closer to home is Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone. While this novel is not your typical children’s picture book – many elementary school students read this book. I remember being absolutely terrified by this book the first time I read it. I was nervous to talk about the popular story with my friends in school because the thought of three-headed dogs, trolls, and men with two faces kept me up at night. It took me years to get back on the Harry Potter bandwagon. Another interesting example is The Lorax. It is a fun picture book and a classic, but the underlying theme about destruction and the takeover of industries is a bit dark. Nevertheless, it allows parents and children to begin a discourse about such topics early in life. Indeed, the content of The Arrival is similar in this way. The themes themselves are mature, but disguising these themes in a more playful setting introduces children to important historical events from an early age. Thus, I feel as though these themes are actually very important and can be both entertaining and educational.
Children’s books can be an incredible tool for introducing discussion topics to children. I like that you point out The Lorax as a tool for understanding environmental themes, for all I know this book set me on the path for environmental studies (I can’t point to this book specifically but it definitely had a spot on my childhood bookshelf). It will be interesting to see if the children who read The Arrival have more open mindedness towards immigration, perhaps they won’t support building a wall between the U.S. and China. Children’s books are powerful tools because they set the tone for children’s future opinions. The colorful pictures (okay maybe not the case for The Arrival) may be misleading but the deeper meanings are there.
There are some interesting studies about the idea of increasing empathy due to narrative. Apparently, even if somebody is told that a narrative is false, under tests part of them will still believe it. Also, I think that to a certain extent children do grasp the darker themes of children’s tales. If they don’t, that can lead to problems later down the line. Someone who has no concept of tragedy and sadness is someone who has been sheltered their whole life- and the connotation is that they cannot function properly within society when they actually do encounter something not-so-rosy.
I think the idea of dark themes in children’s stories is really interesting. It’s also worth pointing out that they’ve been around for a really long time and can be found nearly everywhere. Take the game Ring Around the Rosie, for example. It can easily be interpreted as a reference to the black plague. The line “Ring around the rosie,” can be interpreted as a rash, which was a common symptom. “Pockets full of posies” can refer to the practice of carrying posies both to cover the smell of the plague and as protection against it. “Ashes, ashes” can be interpreted as referring to the practice of burning the bodies, and “we all fall down” is the eventual death of the victims. Dark themes such as these are all over the place, especially in nursery rhymes.