Hear My
Cry: A Manifesto for Emancipatory Childhood Studies Approach to Children’s
Literature is Galbraith’s argument for a critical look at children’s
literature through an emancipatory lens. She claims that children are a social
group whose rights we must protect, because they are young, naive, and
dependent on adults. As adults, we hold natural power over children, who have
not yet learned how to communicate/articulate all their thoughts. As a result,
the children’s literature we give them is both incredibly influential as a form
of emancipation or oppression. Galbraith critically looks at The Polar
Express by Chris Van Allsburg. She finds parallels between the whimsical
picture book and Nazi Germany, claiming that the adoration showed to Santa
Clause establishes a “Great Man.” She says that the “Great Man” teaches
children that, through irrational belief in a greater figure, we can get “what
we need from the universe despite our depraved condition in reality” (197). This
immediately recalls the Third Reich in that the depraved German children who
grew up in poverty were able to look towards the songs, speeches, and jubilant
rallies established by Hitler and his government.
According to Galbraith, once
readers are aware of the “Great Man” in the Polar Express, the magical spell is
“ruined as an innocent narrative” (197). We as adults are forced to address the
difficult task of handling this book. Is it hidden with fascist connections
that encourage an irrational belief in a savior figure? Is it a comment on the
unbearable weight of loneliness that is only fixed once we find a figure to
believe in? Is it simply a story about the Santa Clause figure we have always
associated with Christmas? One
particular position that caught my eye was the position of a “triumphant critic
who ‘outs’ a hidden agenda” (198). In all fairness to Allsburg, any hidden agenda would be much more
successful if the narrative had been more explicit in its “Great Man” theme.
Galbraith even says that she is unsure of whether or not Allsburg or his
editors saw the historical connection. If that is the case, how on earth could
this reading of Polar Express hold water? Was the agenda so wonderfully hidden
even the author didn't realize his emotional manipulation of children?
In addition, Galbraith’s article discusses
the psychobiographical influence of authors on their works. How did an author’s
childhood influence his/her writing of childhood or writing for childhood? While Galbraith claimed that the
psychobiography of Allsburg could support her theory, she admitted that she
knew nothing much of Allsburg other than his incriminating name. I decided to
look the author up. Turns out he was born in 1949 (four years after WWII) and
in America. While this may refute the
direct claim that a “Great Man” Hitler connection to Santa Clause exists in the
book, does it refute the “Great Man” theme entirely?
Over the summer, I went to the
New York Public Library’s exhibition, “The ABC of It: Why Children’s Books
Matter.” While it was incredibly
inspirational I had seen, for the first time, an intensely critical view of
certain children’s novels. There were theories and interpretations of some of
my favorite works that I had never (repeat never)
would have come up with. In a way, this connects to Galbraith’s point that once
we critically look at one of our beloved childhood novels, we are forced to
shed some innocence and see the darker truths hidden behind the text or
pictures. The picture book, Love You Forever, concerns itself heavily
with the passage of time and human mortality. Alice in Wonderland is as
much about youthful self-discovery as it is about utter nonsense. Maybe The Polar
Express could encourage a belief
in a “Great Man,” but it doesn't necessarily have to be negative. Maybe it isn't Hitler – maybe it’s the concept of kindness and charity and comfort personified
– that if children believe in these positive qualities then they can recreate
them. Even if they’re not at the forefront, adult themes are central to a
children’s book and can be as dark or as light as we wish to read them.
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