Week Seven: The Novel of Spiritual Education

For this week's class, I decided to read Phillip Pullman's The Golden Compass. I had seen the movie when it came out in theaters, although it was definitely a poor film adaptation in comparison to the source material. I really enjoyed how complex the alternate world was, and the relationship between the individuals and their "daemons". This partner has such an intimate bond with their counterparts, which is a major driving force of the plot, examining the relationship between religion versus science and how far boundaries can be pushed.

The Golden Compass looks at a great deal of themes to help young adults understand and better navigate the "real world" from the eyes of protagonist, Lyra. For example, throughout the book Lyra is literally a "liar", at first using her lying to trick others to her advantage in a negative light. As the story continues, however, we see she uses her sharp wit and lying to her advantage to help others, showing character growth and embedding an important lesson to the reader.

From the different factions--the Oxford Scholars, General Oblation Board, the witches, gypitans, Mrs. Coulter and even the bears-- there is a constant struggle for power and resources. The book prominently looks at the theme of power and how it affects all other parts of one's life. I would say that the spiritual challenges presented in the book were very strongly displayed through Pullman's criticism of religious institutions how much power they hold.  Mrs. Coulter shows the power of the Magisterium's power as one which is corrupt and abusive, and is often paralleled with religious organizations today such as the Roman Catholic Church. The absolute power and insistence of the Magisterium shows the faults and evils of

On the other hand, Pullman shows the benefits of working in moderation, seen in the rulers like the King of Bears and Queen of Witches. This, similar to Lyra's lying, shows the young readers how everything can be used for goodness.