Wednesday, December 28, 2022
Recently, I noticed a headline in The Washington Post about the 100th anniversary of The Velveteen Rabbit by Marjory Williams which is a story I've read a few times over the years and have always enjoyed. I planned to look at some favorite Christmas stories from childhood today so I pulled it off the shelf to give it a look for old times sake.
The book's connection to Christmas is the setting at the opening of the book. The protagonist, known only as the Boy, receives the velveteen rabbit as a gift on Christmas morning. The relationship of the toy rabbit to the boy changes over the course of the tale. I've always loved the story but my reading of it today struck me in a more emotional way than it ever has before.
Maria Tatar, a Harvard professor specializing in fairy tales, is quoted in the article I mentioned at the beginning of this post as saying. “Love and loss, abandonment and suffering, and, yes, even death and resurrection are folded into this compact narrative that shows us how love can conquer darkness and animate us when we feel lost and vulnerable.”
After I finished reading the book I looked up at Dale who was sitting on the couch reading a book of his own with Sylvester on his lap and I was overcome with the awareness of how much I love him. Just as quickly I was aware of how empty I would feel if he were not here. It was jarring and upsetting but it made me realize how intense feeling that bring us comfort and joy would never be as intense with the assurance of them being permanent.
No comments:
Post a Comment