In most works that are written for children there is some sort of lesson to be learned at the end of the story. Generally these novels end in a happy light with the lesson being right in front of the reader. In modern times, children's novels have tended to deal with fantastical topics from wizardry, future lands, alternate dimensions and super powers. And it seems that these novels always tend to end the same, with the child hero overcoming the villain. But there is a specific children's genre in which the ability to love and be loved is the ultimate weapon that overcomes the evil in the story.
One piece of work in which love overcomes evil is the very popular Harry Potter series. In this series, the basis of the story comes from the fact that Harry's mother dies to save him because she loves him. Throughout the series Harry is reminded of this fact, but fails to realize the power of love. Also Voldemort, the main villain in the series, is skeptical of the power that love can possess and continuously fails to realize that it is ultimately what could defeat him. Take for instance in the following quote:
"Is it love again?... Dumbledore's favorite solution, love, which he claimed conqured death, though love did not stop him falling from the tower and breaking like an old waxwork? Love, which did not prevent me from stamping out your mudblood mother like a cockroach Potter--and nobody seems to love you enough to run forward this time and take my curse. So what will stop you from dying now when I strike?"
It is apparent in this quote that Voldemort is highly skeptical that it is in fact love which saved Harry from him years earlier and that it will be love now that will save him again. And it is not long after Voldemort speaks these words that he meets his demise. It was the power that Harry got from his mother and father and all those that sacrificed themselves to save him, and the love that Harry had for his family and friends that was able to defeat the enemy in the end.
Another instant in which this is true is in the Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins. This series of novels takes place in a post apocalyptic world in which 12 districts are ruled by a single kingdom called the Capitol. The Capitol, each year, forces 2 children from each of the 12 districts to compete in the Hunger Games, in which the victor is the one who survived. These games were broadcasted every year for the enjoyment of the people of the Capitol. The main character Katniss, was originally not selected for the Hunger Games, but took her sister's spot when her name was drawn. In an effort to win over the affections of the people of the Capitol, Katniss's district's male counterpart, Petta, is displayed as her lover and that the pair are being torn apart from the games. Katniss and Petta make it out of the games together because of their love and it is their love that starts the rebellion. In the following quote it is apparent that Katniss and Petta's love is growing:
"This is the first kiss that we are fully aware of. Neither of us hobbled by sickness or pain or simply unconscious. Our lips neither burning with fever or icy cold. This is the first kiss where I actually feel stirring inside my chest. Warm and curious. This is the first kiss that makes me want another."
Even after this one moment it still takes the majority of the series for Katniss to realize that she is actually in love with Petta and that their courtship was more than an act. In the end of the series it is their love and the love of those who sacrificed their lives for the rebellion that defeats the Capitol enemy in the end.
A third series in which love conquers all is the series that came from A Wrinkle in Time. In the main character, Meg, has her father taken from her by IT to another dimension. In an effort to save her father, Meg, her brother Charles Wallace, and her friend Calvin. Meg and her companions go through a series of trials and tribulations in which Meg's loyalty for her brother, friend and father are tested. In an effort to saver their father, Charles Wallace, sacrifices himself and is taken prisoner by IT. In order to save her brother, Meg must get into IT's kingdom. Meg is told by the W's, that she has a weapon that IT does not have and it is ultimately what will defeat him. Meg final realizes that love is the weapon that she must use. It is her love for her brother that is able to defeat IT, as seen in the following quote:
"If she could give love to IT perhaps it would shrivel up and die, for she was sure that IT could not withstand love. But she in all her weakness and foolishness and baseness and nothingness, was incapable of loving IT. Perhaps it was not too much to ask of her, but she could not do it. But she could love Charles Wallace."
The similarities between these 3 examples are numerous. In all of the pieces, some type of sacrifice is made by multiple people. In general a family member makes the first sacrifice, Harry's mother sacrifices herself for him, Katniss sacrifices herself for her sister and Charles Wallace sacrifices himself for his father. As each of these series progresses, more people sacrifice themselves for love. In each of these works as well, the characters go on some sort of a journey, and eventually are able to discover that love is the tool that they should be using to defeat their enemies. The final similarity is that even after all of the sacrifice and hardships that the characters face, each of these stories ends in the happy, lesson learned setting that all children's books revolve around.
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