Character Lessons in an Adventurous Semi-Christian Novel

Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink

Caddie Woodlawn is a lot of fun to read, for girls, but boys may also enjoy it; and while only elementary readers will have the skill to read it alone, the book would make a great read aloud for younger children.

Brink reveals her semi-Christian worldview in the novel, basing Caddie's adventures on the stories she heard of her great-grandmother's childhood. The family explicitly believes in God, even the Christian God, but they do not allow their faith to infiltrate much of their lives. In addition, the characters all have failings, so they do not believe that man is perfect. However, the gospel is never spoken of or implied. Their religion may not extend past a form of: "Do your best, and let God do the rest." The characters do learn to do their best through the chapters, and Brink (with the reader) lauds their successes.

The real strength of the book lies in these numerous and well related character lessons. Caddie and her siblings learn lessons which seem distinctly American, although true ethics like these are universal. She demonstrates courage while fighting prejudice and rumors about the local indians; she learns maturity and compassion in interacting with others, while fighting off pompous the manners that can be associated with acting "grown up." When a local Indian asks her to care for his dog, she exhibits responsibility, and while her brothers (and best pals) are getting into scrapes and her sister is longing for companionship, she discovers loyalty and the importance of family. She also demonstrates patriotism, diligence, and humility as her family thrives on the Amercan Frontier.

Two Fine Ladies

The "Two Fine Ladies" series by Antonia Zehler charmingly suits any girly-girl early reader. I know of two books in this series: "Two Fine Ladies Have a Tiff" and "Two Fine Ladies: Tea for Three." In about 30 pages of one or two sentences per page, a young lady who loves pink, dressing up, and tea parties can learn a little about friendship and compromise. The illustrations show two girls ("fine ladies") who live in a pink cottage and drink tea, but look suspiciously similar to little girls playing dress up because of their long dresses that drag on the floor and sleeves that hang past their arms. Their hats and necklaces droop in just that "dress up" sort of way, too.

The moral of the stories are not deep, but nevertheless can be valuable lessons in friendship for young girls. In "Have a Tiff," the girls wake up grumpy and fight. Yet drinking tea alone is not fun, so they soon patch their friendship. In "Tea for Three," they pick up a bear (perhaps a teddy bear, grown real in their imagination?) while out on a drive in their pink love bug. He comes home to tea, but spoils it. They realize that they care for their new friend more than they care about spilled tea or cookie crumbs. If the lessons of friendship do not tempt the reader, the illustrations will be too delightful to pass up.

An Old Fashioned Girl by Louisa May Alcott

The themes of "An Old Fashioned Girl," the major being useful femininity, the minor being money, are tied together by the strand of healthy work. At first while reading this book, I was concerned by the strong presence of early feminism through the story, but Alcott's feminism is attractive and good. In one chapter, five single girls (though one is engaged) gather for an spontaneous picnic while discussing the ideal woman. Four of the girls are working girls--an artist, a sculpter, a music teacher, and an author--, and the fifth is inspired to spend her free time more usefully. Their ideal woman is strong, diligent, intelligent, and, relievingly, distinctly feminine. Alcott shows her ideal woman in development throughout the story, whose primary trait seems to be helpful, cheerful service to others.

The characters in "An Old Fashioned Girl" are presented with two paths of femininity. The first is self-centered and vain: concerned primarily in comfort, fashion, and romance. Alcott is careful to present the fun of fashion and society as well as its perils, because even the girl who is growing into the ideal woman enjoys pretty clothes and a night of beautiful music or dancing. Polly also falls into the temptation of flirtation and selfishness, though. The other path of femininity enjoys life and beauty, but adds to it by serving others or producing truly beautiful things. The ideal woman loves others and seeks their good through involvement in the arts, politics, family, and friendships. Alcott shows that a social life is necessary, but should not be the focus of life, and presents some of the temptations of pursuing pleasure. She exhorts her readers to see the work that is uniquely available to women, and pursue a useful path of femininity.

Masculinity is less developed, but shown in complement to femininity. The gentleman knows how to have fun, takes responsibility for his actions, and always treats women and girls as ladies. Alcott's ideal man would spur on women to femininity by providing a natural object of service, and by inspiring women by their own character. Her man is obviously not complete, but sufficiently furthers her presentation of femininity.

The second theme in Alcott's novel is money. The two main girls are contrasted by their financial circumstances, but Alcott shows throughout the book that it is not how much money one has, but rather how one uses the time and money available to them. Dishonorable poor are distinguished from the honorable poor in how they arrive at their poverty: the honorable are diligent and full of integrity. Wealth has two ethical sides also. The wealthy can be wasteful and greedy or unthankful, or they can modestly use their wealth to help others. Alcott demonstrates that lack or possession of money is an opportunity for good or for evil.

In considering how the characters used their time and money, I again paused with concern, for Alcott seemed inconsistent in portraying the culpability of her characters. At times, the characters recognized their failings, owned up to them, and "manfully" strove to change. Other times, she dismissed her characters failings as ignorance or distraction, especially when saying that the rich could be using their wealth to help the honorable poor find work. Upon further consideration, I concluded that when characters show responsibility for their actions, they do so individually. The glossed over faults are more general. Alcott seems to be using forgiveness to call her readers into the useful femininity she presents by saying that most of the wasteful rich are simply not aware of the need around them and the means they have to serve those needs. Then she shows her readers how to confess their faults and change by the individual actions of the main characters. In the meantime, this provides those who are already serving others with an opportunity to avoid judging those whom they see not serving.

The elementary student would enjoy the first five chapters of the book, describing Polly, Fanny, and Tom's childhood, but much of the remaining chapters would go over her head. Instead, the book should spur on a child beginning to develop her femininity, such as an intermediate child. The intermediate student would also be helped by some supplementation: coincide the reading of "An Old Fashioned Girl" with discussions of biblical masculinity and femininity, as well as an introduction to the feminist movement, especially noting its departure from proper gender roles.

Lois Lowry

Prior to reading these three books by Lois Lowry, I had only read that her books dealt with more serious issues than most children’s books, and had read and forgotten Number the Stars. What I heard of her intrigued me, and I wanted to discover what worldview produced these controversial works. Lowry’s ability to write about universal truths amazed me.

Perhaps least impressive is her view of God, though only because it is so obscure. Theism is not even mentioned in The Giver. In Gooney Bird Greene and Number the Stars, religion is only a part of culture. Annemarie is Lutheran because she is an average Dane. Her friend Ellen is Jewish because she is Jewish. God and any interaction with Him are irrelevant to their lives or at least to the story. Gooney Bird mentions a town church in passing, but her plot is not very deep in general. I still have questions about Lowry’s theology.

Lowry’s characters, however, are well rounded. They do both good and evil, wrestling between them. Annemarie struggles with whether lying is acceptable in protecting her Jewish friend; Jonas admits to breaking rules or being rude to others and apologizes. They see others whom they respect or fear also doing both good and evil. Significantly, the Giver himself admits failure with a former pupil. And in Number the Stars, Germans soldiers are sometimes shown to be kind or happy. Protagonists also deal with a variety of emotions and react complexly to each situation. This both demonstrates Lowry’s skill as an author and shows her worldview of man’s nature.

Finally, Lowry’s proficiency most clearly shines in her treatment of reality and ethics. Her deeper stories, Number the Stars and The Giver, show her ability to raise and navigate deep questions about universal truths. The plots become well rounded, because Lowry does not ask merely the easy questions. She does not stop at asking whether Annemarie will risk her life to protect her friend, she wonders with the girl whether it is ethical for her to lie to do so. And Jonas faces difficult decisions, because while he longs to share his new memories and joys with others, doing so would destroy the peaceful life of the community. He struggles with the loneliness of responsibility and must come to terms with atrocities committed by his loved ones, who have chosen ignorance and painlessness over choice and joy.

Lowry impressed me with her well rounded characters, then her well rounded plots, both of which showed her solid, though not definitely Christian, worldview. As a result, I want to read some non-fiction about the German invasion of Denmark, and I want to read more works by this author.

Gooney Bird Greene

Elementary age. This would be a perfect book for a first, second, or third grade teacher doing a unit in class on story-writing. Otherwise, the book has neither the interest nor a theme impressive enough to render it recommendable.

Number the Stars

Elementary age. This is a terrific book about defending the helpless. The content is serious, discussing the deaths of close friends and relatives who stood up for what was right, as well as demonstrating the dangers of protecting the helpless and the enigma of lying to protect the innocent. Still, the issues are presented simply and carefully enough to be acceptable for children. Examples: Annemarie deals with her fear on her mission by telling herself the story of Little Red Riding Hood. And just as all of Denmark is the bodyguard of the Danish king, so Annemarie and her neighbors are the bodyguards of the Jews. This book would supplement a study of World War II very well.

The Giver

Intermediate age. While not very long, this excellent book deals with a more complex theme than Number the Stars (instead of a threat to the sanctity of life, there is a threat to human emotions). The evil, too, is more complex, because the very characters that Jonas and the Giver seek to rescue also willingly participate in euthanizing the elderly and unwanted. Furthermore, there are a few vague references to puberty changes and increased sexual awareness, which are presented well but may be too mature for elementary readers. For intermediate readers, however, this book would expertly evoke consideration of deep truths.

Several Mystery Series I Unreservedly Recommend

Nate the Great by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat
For the early reader (no chapters), Nate solves crimes using logic children can understand (red and yellow paint mixes to make orange, licking a stamp makes it sticky, etc.). As he goes, he narrates his thoughts, causing the adult to hear mystery music in the background. He leaves notes for his mother, promising to wear his rubbers, and pancakes are his favorite payment.

Three Cousins Detective Club by Elspeth Campbell Murphy
For the elementary reader (early chapter book, slightly easier than American Girl series), each book is told from the perspective of one of three cousins: Sarah-Jane, Timothy, and Titus. The series is explicitly Christian, and there are sub-series themed around the ten commandments, the Beatitudes, etc. The cases and characters interest a young reader, but as an adult, I especially appreciated the emotions that the kids experience. For example, they deal with mixed emotions about younger siblings, they struggle with fixing a bad attitude, and they feel attachment to and embarrassment toward their stuffed animals.

Addie McCormick by Leanne Lucas
A Christian series for the elementary reader, Addie and her friend Nick discover secrets and have adventures in rural Illinois. The characters are well developed and frequently wrestle with how a Christian should respond in the situation.

Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
The famous mystery series is generally appropriate for the intermediate reader, although the cases are often dark and the villains viciously evil. Also, the student should be able to appreciate the strength of intelligence and observation possessed by Holmes while not condoning his character flaws of pride and addiction. The worldview is humanist. That sounds like a reservation, but if I had confidence in the student's discernment, I would not hesitate to let him read any of the series.

Father Brown Mysteries by G. K. Chesterton
About the same reading difficulty as Doyle's mysteries, but far superior in worldview. The priest solves his mysteries not only by observation, but by an understanding of mankind. His detective thesis might be: every man is capable of great evil, but also can be redeemed from that evil through faith. Brown seeks not only to solve intellectual problems, but to minister to the souls of those involved.

For the advanced reader, I recommend anything by Agatha Christie or Dorothy Sayers.

Duty and Delight: A Half-Truth

Eleanor Porter wrote a half truth in Pollyanna. She remembered “Rejoice … always,” but forgot “in the Lord.” In the sequel, Pollyanna Grows Up, she tried to bolster her argument by saying it is not enough to seek joy in everything, you must serve others also. This is decently satisfying as a secular psychology answer, but poorly satisfying as a spiritual answer.

Humans should pursue joy; it brings God glory. Porter shows us one method of pursuing joy, but she leaves out the most important part: the gospel. Pollyanna tells the story of an orphaned missionary child who teaches a town to rejoice in spite of their circumstances by teaching them “the Glad game.” In the process she helps heal old wounds and quarrels, reveals hypocrisy, and endures difficult and painful situations. Pollyanna is contrasted with her Aunt Polly—a woman embittered by the past into covering all emotion and living according to the strictest Duty. Pollyanna, while (almost) always obedient, seeks to find joy in even the most unpleasant tasks. At one point, she poses for herself the problem: where is the joy in Duty?

The Glad game itself arises from the view that God is serious in commanding His followers to rejoice. When the local pastor is struggling with the hypocrisy and infighting of his parishioners, Pollyanna reminds him of God’s commands to rejoice. He, being devout and seeking God’s will, takes the exhortation from Pollyanna and an article that advocates the practical benefit of encouraging people into obedience rather than scolding them. Oddly, the characters never mention sin as our worst problem or the Cross as the remedy. Christ is the true spring of our joy, and joy in anything else is shallow and less enduring.

Perhaps the sequel was written in response to criticism about Pollyanna, which many have said lacks depth—the girl finds joy in circumstances, pulled from nowhere. In Pollyanna Grows Up, Pollyanna encounters several circumstances in which genuine gladness may not be appropriate: cases of poverty and illness, loneliness and temptation, and death of a relative, in all of which she is unable to help. Pollyanna is distressed by these, finding it difficult to play her game. Scripturally, this makes sense. We are commanded to weep with those who weep, while continuing to rejoice in the Lord. Our view of circumstances may be low, but our view and joy in God is high. Yet Pollyanna cannot discover this tension.

Porter’s answer to these problems seems to be Christian service. The Glad Girl convinces a rich woman to adopt the poor and ill boy and to support a lonely and tempted working girl. When Dr. Chilton dies, Aunt Polly is again cast into despair by her widowhood. Pollyanna’s service to her aunt eventually alleviates this burden of sorrow. By serving others or convincing others to serve, Pollyanna brings joy into these circumstances where the Glad game cannot go. The end of the series is a silly, but entertaining romantic carousel, not significantly contributing to the overall themes of the books.

Although Elementary in reading difficulty, children should not read this book unless they are secure in the Cross as their source of joy, or at least they should be guided in discerning where joy comes from. Porter clearly presents the thesis and antithesis of Delight and Duty, but does not clearly articulate the synthesis found in the gospel—that God changes our hearts, then in grateful love we seek to obey Him (Phil. 2:13-14). For those secure in joy’s source, Pollyanna will be a sweet encouragement to treat God’s commands for joy seriously—a truth we as Christians often overlook.

Silent Spring by Rachel Carson

In the early 1960s, Americans were using newly developed chemical poisons (DDT and similar poisons) to control or eradicate insects, with only partial success and devastating side effects on other wildlife. Rachel Carson researched the various applications of poison and their effects, then wrote her book, explaining to the average citizen the science of the poisons and the importance of being cautious with ecology.

Reasons Not to Read Silent Spring

1. Silent Spring is repetitive, to the point of boredom. The middle chapters are all additional perspectives on the problems formerly introduced (e.g. secondary effects to insecticides), which drag on a little.
2. The science is old. DDT has long been banned in the U.S. and the FDA and EPA watch new products much more carefully than in the 1950s.
3. Carson is an evolutionist. This is a weak argument, but I present it for those to whom it matters.

Reasons to Read Silent Spring

1. In a very real sense, Carson is responsible for the EPA and environmentalism as a movement. Like Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin, this book is relevant for its historical impact on our culture.
2. It pushes environmental issues into the public eye. Although the science is old, the principles she lays out for caring for the environment as a whole and seeking biologically responsible methods of control apply today.
3. Carson’s descriptions of various animals, cell functions, and biospheres are beautiful. Despite her evolutionary perspective, I found myself praising God for His beauty and order displayed in creation.

To anyone interested in the founding of the environmental movement, in the interrelations of biology and chemistry, or in working in a field where those sciences play a significant role, I would highly recommend Silent Spring. To anyone else, do not read it unless you are intrigued!