Tuesday, August 28, 2018

The Myth of Childhood

        One of the possible post prompts asked us to consider how Kingsolver's novel The Poisonwood Bible  compares to other books we've read. Immediately after reading, I was unable to establish any links to novels I have read, however, now, I realize this piece has fascinating and eye-opening connections to a work of nonfiction.
        Confession: I did not actually read this other book I'm talking about.
        I am going to, though. My dad read it, and wanted to discuss it with me, as he frequently does with interesting topics. The book is Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari; briefly, it is about the history of human kind and how we got to where we are today, and mostly about the natural state of our species. He argues that everything outside of our natural state- everything we do not need to have or do to survive- is fiction.
        Everything else is simply an invention of our imaginations. Language is, government is, manners and customs are. Upon reading The Poisonwood Bible, I discovered, so, too, is childhood.
        Readers watch the Price girls come to the same realization when they meet the children of the Congo. They notice girls younger than them taking care of households, and, more startlingly, raising children of their own (the young boys work less and play more, but we'll save that for a later post). The children of Kilanga don't have the luxury of just being kids- of being carefree, with no responsibilities and no awareness of the hardships of life. They are forced to grow up immediately out of necessity. Childhood is not a guarantee around the world, it doesn't even exist in some places.
        Childhood is fiction. Childhood is the invention of a culture with the time, resources, and comforts to spare to allow a significant portion of the population to pass up on the responsibilities. I am 17 years old, and what do I do for my society? My parents pay for everything for me. My mom still does my laundry most of the time. A girl of my age in the Congo would probably already have had more than one child, perhaps not all surviving, would wash her family's one outfit each by hand, find and prepare meals from scratch, and more. Something so simply and universal in our culture that we don't think twice about is unfathomable in other cultures, because it is not natural, and it is not guaranteed. It is a fiction that we brought to life.

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