Chris Colfer’s Land of Stories
series may be targeted towards young readers, but in his latest releases, A
Tale of Magic and A Tale of Witchcraft, there are a few metaphors
his target audience may not quite understand. In A Tale of Magic, one
can see metaphors for the struggles of the LGBT community, as well as women,
while also alluding to the witch trials of the 17th century. A
Tale of Witchcraft makes not-so-subtle references the topics such as
abortion, mental illness, and even the current state of our country.
A Tale
of Magic, the first of Colfer’s Land of Stories prequels, outlines the
story of Brystal Evergreen, also known as the Fairy Godmother. In the Southern
Kingdom, where Brystal lives, as well as many other regions, practicing magic
is illegal. It is also illegal for women to read in the Southern Kingdom. Early
in the book, Brystal gets in trouble for both. At home, she gets in trouble when
she is caught reading a book her brother gave her. She later gets a job as a
maid in the local library. While working late one night, she finds a book with
two incantations. If you recite the first one and something happens, it means
you are a witch. If you something happens when you recite the second, you are a
fairy. Brystal recites them both for fun, only to discover she is a fairy
(Colfer 2019).
Brystal’s
conservative father is a well-known political figure in her town of Chariot
Hills. Because of this, and the fact that magic is illegal, Brystal cannot let
anyone know she is a fairy. She has to stay “in the closet” so to speak. Colfer
himself is an openly gay man. I may be reading too deeply into things, but I
feel that Brystal, and others like her, having to hide who she really is
represents the struggles of those in the LGBTQ+ community often feeling they
have to hide who they really are out of fear of rejection and discrimination,
which can sometimes lead to violence, from those around them. If caught using
magic, Brystal could face rejection from her conservative family, especially
her father, rejection by the community, and possibly the death penalty (Colfer,
2019).
Eventually,
Brystal is caught and arrested for using magic. She is put in prison, tried,
and nearly sentenced to death before her father steps in and has her sent to a
correctional facility instead. The penalties for using magic are reminiscent of
the witch hunts and trials held in Europe and North America in the 17th
century. A simple Google search will show that women were tried and killed for
being “witches” after committing such offenses as being female, being left
handed, having an argument, allowing milk to spoil, and being too young or too
old, among others (Hewitt, 2021 & Beckmann, 2015).
In A
Tale of Magic’s sequel, A Tale of Witchcraft, Colfer makes
references to a few very current issues. The first issue I caught some allusion
to was abortion. In a later part of the book, Lucy, one of Brystal’s fellow
fairies, is cursed with a Shadow Beast, a creature that uses a witch’s body and
helps them with one enchantment. While discussing expelling the curse, Lucy and
her friends get into an argument. It is later stated that Lucy’s arguments are
a side effect of the curse, but there are some obvious references to
discussions and arguments often had around the topics of pregnancy and
abortion. For example, when Lucy first begins to have doubts about expelling
the Shadow Beast she says, “‘What if I regret this decision later? What if this
is my last chance to have a Shadow Beast?’” (Colfer, 2020). This is a point
often brought up by pro-life advocates when discussing reasons not to have an
abortion, as well as doubtful questions asked by those considering an abortion.
Lucy also argues that it is her own fault for ending up in the situation and
that the Shadow Beast should not be punished for her mistakes. Her friends
respond with arguments such as not expelling the Shadow Beast will result in
her death, she shouldn’t throw her life away over one mistake, and that she is
not ready to raise a Shadow Beast, all of which are arguments often made by
pro-choice advocates in regards to pregnancy and abortion.
Shortly
after the scene with the Shadow Beast, Brystal has a conversation with Mistress
Mara, the headmistress of the Ravencrest School of Witchcraft, in which it is
revealed that Brystal’s recent intrusive negative thoughts, emotionally distant
behavior, and lack of self-confidence were the result of a curse. As upsetting
as this information is, Brystal is also relieved to know that her recent
thoughts and behavior were not her fault. This can be seen as a metaphor for
mental illness, the curse being representative of the chemical imbalances that
often cause them. Much like Brystal discovering she was cursed, speaking with a
professional and receiving a diagnosis can help those with mental illnesses
understand more of what is going on and begin to recover. Mistress Mara tells
Brystal that in order to overcome the curse in her mind, she must use her mind.
When the intrusive thoughts come back, Brystal uses positive self-talk, a
common therapeutic tool, to talk back to them and build herself up.
The book
ends with Brystal encouraging her friends by reminding them not to confuse fear
and facts, hold on to hope, and not to let people use their emotions to control
them. After the chaos of 2020, a lot of people need these reminders. The
COVID-19 pandemic has caused a lot of confusion and controversy. Biased media
outlets on both ends of the political spectrum have not helped. It is hard for
many to determine fact from fearmongering and emotional manipulation. Between
the pandemic, natural disasters, racial justice issues, violent protests, and
lots of political controversies, we are in a time where it is hard to hold on
to hope, but for many, it is the one thing we can hold on to. 2020 showed us
that almost everything is temporary and can be taken at any moment. Hope is all
some people have right now, so we need to keep it alive and keep moving forward.
While I do
have some reservations about including such controversial topics in children’s
books, I do understand the importance of putting such topics in terms kids can
understand. There is a lot of heavy stuff going on in the world right now, and
thanks to the internet, it is nearly impossible to shield kids from it. It is
hard for many adults to understand and explain a lot of what is happening, so I
appreciate Chris Colfer using relatable fantasy characters to try and help our
youth understand. I especially appreciate ending the book on such a positive,
optimistic note. Everyone, kids and adults alike, need that right now.
References
Beckmann, L. (2015, October
22). 17 Signs That You'd Qualify as a Witch in 1692. Retrieved from
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/55276/17-signs-youd-qualify-witch-1692
Colfer, C. (2019). A tale of magic. New York, NY: Little, Brown and
Company.
Colfer, C. (2020). A tale of witchcraft. New York,
NY: Little, Brown and Company/
Hewitt, D. G. (n.d.). 18
Reasons One is Executed for Witchcraft during the ‘Burning Times’. Retrieved
January 15, 2021, from
https://historycollection.com/18-reasons-one-is-executed-for-witchcraft-during-the-burning-times/17/
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