As the pages of my favorite childhood story flutter through my fingers, memories of fantastical worlds flood my mind. I begin to read aloud about the four children, sent away to a mysterious house and the wardrobe that transports them to a magical new land. The tale is just as enchanting as I recall, but this time through the story, the magic I appreciate most is not found in the pages of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. Rather, I admire the magic light of my youngest brother’s eyes as his imagination latches onto each syllable I read. I can almost see the pictures of the characters forming in his mind. As I share the characters’ journey with him, I become amazed that instead of listening to a bedtime story, I am the one reading.
It was a moment of clarity, almost as if I had come through the wardrobe myself into this new land of adulthood, capable of taking care of others, able to see the complexities in the stories I had ravenously read as a child. As I explored The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe with a more mature perspective, I searched …show more content…
Not only was I sharing the tale in the role of an adult, I was revisiting the fairy tale and seeing it for myself in a new light. My adult experiences of travel, loss, and growth allowed me to read the story and reflect upon it with more empathy and nuance. The night I began rereading the story was a turning point, though I did not know it at the time. I revisited other stories, identities, and viewpoints that I had simplified as a child, searching for an appreciation of the intricacies that make each story so powerful and lasting. I found a sense of wonder in complexifying these narratives, especially the stories of people I