Analysis of The Children Story by James Clavell
The Children's Story is a novella by James Clavell which appeared in the June 1964 issue
of Reader's Digest and was republished in book form in 1981. It is also the title of a 1982
short film based upon the story.
Clavell's Thoughts :
It was a simple incident in the life of James Clavell-a talk with his young daughter just
home from school-that inspired this chilling tale of what could happen in twenty-five
quietly devastating minutes. He writes" The Children's Story came into being that day. It
was then that I realized how vulnerable my child's mind was-any mind, for that matterunder controlled circumstances.
"Normally I write and rewrite, but this story came quickly-almost by itself. Barely three
words were changed. It pleases me greatly because it keeps asking me
questions....."Questions like What's the use of 'I pledge allegiance' without understanding?
Like Why is it so easy to divert thoughts? Like What is Freedom? and Why is it so hard to
explain? "The Childrens Story keeps asking me all sorts of questions I cannot answer.
Perhaps you can-then your child will...."
Characters of this Story :
The story moves quickly and the characters are only briefly sketched out. The main
character among the children is Johnny whose father fought in the war and is now being
held prisoner. Johnny is afraid for his father and about the changes that are coming to his
school because of the defeat.
The Setting of this story :
It uses a classroom of children facing a major change in their lives.
The Background of James Clavell made this story and Social Condition :
While a very short and simple story, it touches on many important concepts, such as
freedom, religion, patriotism, etc. It is similar in nature to George Orwell's 1984 in its
treatment of propaganda, control, and inter-generational warfare.
Clavell was inspired to write this story after a talk with his six-year-old daughter just home
from school. His daughter Michaela was explaining how she had learned the Pledge of
Allegiance, and he was struck by the thought that, though she had memorized the pledge,
she had no idea what many of the words meant. The power to use language as a weapon,
as it is done — all too effectively — in the classroom of Clavell's story admonishes us to
always make sure young minds truly understand what a word really means.
In the concluding comment from The Children's Story Afterword, Clavell states the
following: "During that day I asked all kinds of people of every age, “You know the 'I
pledge allegiance...', but before I could finish, at once they would all parrot it, the words
almost always equally blurred. In every case, discovered that not one teacher, ever — or
anyone — had ever explained the words to any one of them. Everyone just had to learn it
to say it. The Children's Story came into being that day. It was then that I realized how
completely vulnerable my child's mind was — any mind for that matter — under controlled
circumstances. Normally I write and rewrite and re-rewrite, but this story came quickly —
almost by itself. Barely three words were changed. It pleases me greatly because it keeps
asking me questions... Questions like what’s the use of 'I pledge allegiance' without
understanding? Like why is it so easy to divert thoughts and implant others? Like what is
freedom and why is it so hard to explain? The Children’s Story keeps asking me all sorts
of questions I cannot answer. Perhaps you can — then your children will..."
Plot summary of this Story:
The story takes place in an unnamed American grade school classroom, in the aftermath of
a war with an unnamed country. It is implied that America has been defeated and occupied.
The story opens with the previous teacher leaving the classroom, having been removed
from her position and replaced with an agent of the foreign power. The new teacher has
been trained in propaganda techniques, and is responsible for re-educating the children to
be supportive of their occupiers. During the course of the story, the children are persuaded
to abandon their religion and national loyalty. Framing the story is the fact that, while the
children have ritually recited the Pledge of Allegiance every morning, none know what it
actually means. The teacher is relentlessly positive about the change, offering the children
candy, songs and praise. When asked if America won or lost the war, she responds only
that "we won", implying that everyone would benefit from the conquest.
Only one student is initially hostile to the new teacher, a child named Johnny, whose father
had been arrested and placed in a re-education camp. At first, he defends his father, but
when he is rewarded by the teacher with a position of authority in the class, he quickly
accepts the new regime and commits himself to not accepting "wrong thoughts".
The story takes place over a twenty-five minute span.
Movie adaptation : The short story was adapted in 1982 as an installment in the anthology
TV series Mobil Showcase; this episode has also been made available on its own as a short
film, but the film is reportedly difficult to find. Clavell's daughter (the above-referenced
Michaela, known professionally as Michaela Ross during her brief acting career) played a
seemingly very pleasant young teacher sent by the Soviet conquerors to indoctrinate a
classroom of American children. She replaces an old teacher (played in her penultimate
performance by the legendary actress Mildred Dunnock), who disappears after the students
witness her crying.
1.
The massage of this Story :
The Children’s Story depicts the enormous power of teachers, for good or for bad. It’s
frightening to think how a child’s mind is susceptible to being manipulated so easily by the
authority figures they trust. Schools are supposed to be places of learning, not places of
political indoctrination. But with the use of sophisticated propaganda techniques, a
classroom of children may be brainwashed in as little as twenty minutes. Since this story
was written almost fifty years ago and the Cold War is long over, you might think The
Children’s Story is outdated- but it’s not. The book’s implications are timeless and the
theme is even more pertinent than ever.
2. The message sounds reasonable at first, even believable. However, her ulterior motive is to
methodically challenge and brainwash a classroom of children to turn them against their
country, their parents, and even basic freedoms. Little Johnny was the one small voice of
distrust, but he was also manipulated in the end.
My Impression about this Story : It’s a shocking tale about the power an authority figure
can have over impressionable young children. This is a very short story. It shows how a
child's mind, and perhaps any person's mind, can be molded.
- Sabtu, 30 Juni 2012