Trina Paulus’s Hope for the Flowers, is a children’s story; a good children’s story. And like generally a lot of good children’s stories, contains a story for adults as well.
Yellow and Stripes are caterpillars on a ruthless climb up a pillar. No one knows what’s up there and no one particularly knows why they are climbing this pillar. It is not a pleasant sight – caterpillars pushing, kicking, and stepping on each other. It gets more merciless as one comes near the apex. The caterpillars on that side have realized that to be able to get to the top, they have to get rid of certain caterpillars.
Yellow and Stripes have a realization and they start climbing down…
It is easy to look at Hope for the Flowers as a parable of the rat (or rather, a caterpillar) race – people scurrying to get to the top no matter the cost and the emptiness and loneliness of being up there.
If one looks closely enough, there are however, a lot of other ways at looking at the story of Yellow and Stripes. One can see it as a parable of choices – one can opt to climb up, go down, or stay put. One can also treat it as a parable of relationships - committing, letting go, faith, and second chances. Still one can view it as a parable of revolution, a parable of re-invention, or even a parable of disillusionment.
Here’s the thing about very good children’s books. One reads it the first time and understands it one way; one reads it the second time several years after and realizes that there are several dimensions to the same book. Hope for the Flowers is a very good children’s book.
1 comment:
... if possible ...
... would you release a copy of the book in the internet ?
... but of course it's a no cause o profit will come ! :D
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