I didn't read very many books that had to do with a coming of age message when I was an adolescent. I read what was required in my English classes and then I delved into my own interests which usually included works of fiction that were about the reading level of Tolkein's work. I did read a few more grade level readings, one of them being Eragon, the first of a four book series by Christopher Paolini. Eragon tells the tale of a teenage boy that finds himself with a large burden upon his shoulders that he did not ask for. He has lived a relatively simple life until he finds a dragon egg and his village is raided by creatures searching for the egg. The egg eventually hatches into a dragon, Saphira, forever linking herself to Eragon and making him a Dragon Rider. Eragon is thrust into adulthood as he must go on the run when his uncle is killed by the monsters.
Throughout his travels Eragon reaches many turning points in his life that force him to mature both physically and mentally. These situations can often be linked to real life situations that adolescents in today's world would encounter, and makes it easy for the reader to relate to his struggles and get into the story more. Eragon wrestles with the difficulties of losing loved ones and friends, falling in love, and facing situations he has never previously been in. It is through these hardships that he finds himself growing more and more in tune with himself, as well as Saphira.
Many teens and preteens feel confused and misunderstood in life, unable to find themselves. Oftentimes life puts ordinary people in extraordinary situations and they must learn how to conquer the problem at hand or, sometimes in a literal sense, perish. I feel that this story brings about an escape for those who are struggling with a task or life problem, and allows them to focus on someone else's problems for a little while. An escape is what most adolescents are searching for so they turn to video games or television to find this realm of non-existence, even if just for a few short hours. Media such as these and the internet provide more and more reasons for teens to not pick up books. They are also much easier to process, very seldom require critical thought, and allow the teen to put forth maybe half of the effort required to read a book.
This story of Eragon's coming of age brings forth a good scenario that teens can use to escape life and avoid using electronic sources to do so. I liked the way I could feel empathy for the character throughout the whole book, and the sequel as well, in which Eragon grows ever more into himself as a young man.
I am especially pleased that you chose this book and wrote about it in the way that you did. It helps me as a mother to understand the importance of rites of passages for boys to manhood, and this book does provide that guidance; and for all the reasons you expressed. I am especially amazed at the story of the author, who had to self-publish and self-tour before he was taken seriously and picked up by a publisher.
ReplyDeleteMy son picked it up after the Harry Potter rage and enjoyed the books so much he was disgusted with the movie. I think it also helped him to transition to reading the Trilogy.
Last year my 10-year-old nephew began reading the Eragon series and this year he continues to read challenging chapter books and is unabashed to haul them around under his arm where ever he goes. This is a kid that has all the electronic toys, Wii's, games, computers,all the channels on t.v., movies, but he CHOOSES reading, sports, playing his trombone or violin or piano or taking care of his chickens and gardens over these other distractions. I think that this is proof that if the imagination can be captivated by good writing at a young age, youth will not only turn to greater challenging reads, but also become more conscientious adults. When the statistics come in about 40-50 year olds struggling with video gaming addictions, I tend to worry that these adults have stagnated their growth, not had the guides to help them through rites of passages that are so well illustrated in books such as Paoli's.
Thank you for your insightful commentary and choice!