Have you ever read a story or book that, upon reading it as an adult, had a totally different and/or deeper meaning than you originally noticed as a child?
A couple of years ago, I got the boxed set of The Chronicles of Narnia as a gift. I was revisiting them today, and it never fails to amaze me how much meaning and symbolism those stories hold, especially The Last Battle. I know C.S. Lewis was mainly an adult author, and I’ve read The Screwtape Letters, but the Chronicles will always stand to me as his most prolific work.
Asimov’s “Foundation” novels. Not the original trilogy, but the two that came after that, I believe they were “Foundation’s Edge” and “Foundation and Earth”. When I first read these as a teenager, I knew I didn’t like the way the storyline was resolved, but I had a hard time articulating why. Now I have a much better grasp of it.
Also, Lord of the Rings…this is likely true for anyone who first read it when they were young (I think I was twelve), but I find that as an adult I have a much deeper understanding of the sorrow of the elves. I have seen the passing of many “fair things” in my life. I hadn’t then…
“Momo”, by Michael Ende. It has had different, and more or less deep, meanings for me at all points at which I’ve read it. As a child, as an early teenager, when I was 19, and now when I’m in my mid-twenties.
When you say “as a child,” do you also mean “as a student”? In other words, are you also looking for books that we just plain didn’t care for during our formative years - perhaps because we were forced to read them for a class - but liked the books (found them deeper) when we reread them as adults?
When I re-read To Kill a Mockingbird recently, I was struck by how funny the book was in parts. I had never realized that as a student. I was also amazed by the scene in which
Scout defuses the lynch mob outside the jail
Again, as a student, that scene went straight over my head.
When I read it as a teen-ager, I clearly remember the scene after they first arrive on Arrakis and the attempt is made to assassinate Paul, Duke Leto keeps saying (internally): They have tried to take the life of my son, they have tried to take the life of my son…
At the time I kept I said “Get over it pal, he’s OK” but now that I have children, when I read that chapter, I clench my teeth harder with each repetition, until I can hardly breathe and tears are flowing.
I didn’t really think of that when I posted the OP, but sure, those are very welcome as well! From my own school years, Lord Of The Flies was one that I had to read as an adult to grasp the full horror of some of the scenes.
Oh. Also, to clarify which specific part of Chronicles I was referring to in the OP. The Last Battle probably has the sections that move me the greatest, although all of the books are gems.
The ending of TLB brings me to tears each time I read it. Narnia is, in a way, destroyed, and the Pevensies watch the death of it through a “doorway” along with Aslan. As they are overcome with grief, Aslan then shows them that nothing good can ever be destroyed, because the world (and life) is “like an onion, except the further in you go, the larger the circle becomes.” With this, the Pevensies and all other main characters realize they are, in fact, “dead” and have come to Aslan’s true country to stay. In Aslan’s words “the term is over, the holiday has begun…the dream is over, this is the morning.” Brings the tears every single time.
Dune occured to me as well. The part you mentioned I definitely view differently, I admit (for the same reason).
But what strikes me much harder now is…
culture of the Fremen. I knew diddly over squat about the arab world when I read it at age 12 or whatever. But now that I’m a more informed adult the passages of the ‘people of Misr’ strike me harder. I’m particularly hit by the cry through the ages of ‘They deny us the hajj!’
The original “Bambi” by Felix Salten (not the cutesypoo Disney version.) It didn’t bother me much when I first read it at age 11, but I’ve heard since then that it was actually a metaphor for the persecution of ethnic minorities in Europe early in the 20th century (I don’t know if this is true, it’s just what I’ve heard.) Anyway, just a few days ago I had a nightmare about the part where the animals are standing in the field waiting in fear as the hunters slowly surround them. I’m not anti hunting, so I guess now that I’ve spent years studying history it reminded me of the horrible things humans do to other humans.
When I saw this thread title, I immediately thought of Narnia, as well. But the one that hit me hardest, on re-reading as an adult, was A Horse and his Boy. Like the scene where the boy is walking along the foggy road, and he hears a Voice next to him, and asks “Who are you?”, and the Voice answers “Myself.” “Myself.” “Myself.”.
Dune is an interesting one. As a kid, I didn’t like how the heroic Paul Atreides turned into an oppressive emperor in the second book. But the whole point was that the Atreides were just as evil and corrupt as the Harkonnens, they were just more polite about it. The political system of Dune is a pure dystopia, intentionally I believe.