Personally, I always get excited when I am assigned a book that is banned in other schools. It makes me feel like I am part of some exclusive club, that I am getting a leg up on high schoolers who are more sheltered from the depths of the human soul that are discussed in these “controversial’’ texts. When I heard that BMU is banned for its narrator questioning God, I was particularly intrigued. As an Athiest myself, I often find it hard to relate to most literary characters from the stories that are assigned in school, and that my understanding of these books is shallow due to my lack of knowledge pertaining to religion. However, as eager and hopeful as I was for this book, I don’t think Antonio really mimics my experiences. He is brought up with a devout catholic mother, he strongly considers becoming a priest, and he actually questions his faith. On the other hand, I am not religious specifically because my parents aren’t, and I’ve never questioned my faith. I've always been very secure in my beliefs, or lack thereof.
This leads me to a connection that I found, not with myself, but with one of my favorite characters, Celie. In “The Color Purple” Celie begins to turn away from God because she had always been a staunch Christian, yet life constantly dealt her the worst cards. The root of her suspicions mirror Tony’s pretty perfectly. Tony doesn’t understand how God could let a good person like Narciso die, and a wicked person like Tenorio live and be free. Both character’s question why God would just observe these injustices. This question, of course, isn’t limited to these two characters, this is the line of questioning what routinely shakes the faith of people all around the world. Even if I can’t personally relate with Tony, I am grateful that a different perspective on religion is being discussed so openly.
No comments:
Post a Comment