In The Pages

Recently, I read M.C. Beaton’s Agatha Raisin series (because I love the show) and saw myself in Agatha. As I read, I cringed at her antics, knowing I would do the same, and laughed at them as well. But as I read the novels, I remember feeling the thematic lessons hitting home harder than they ever had in any other book.

So, why did these novels drill home the lesson? It wasn’t the physical traits of Agatha but the negative and positive character traits of her character. And that started me wondering whether seeing a reflection of ourselves—the reader— is required to learn the thematic lesson of the novel. I’m not writing about cultural representation but more of a connection with the character's personality traits. I don’t have the answer to that question. After all, people have learned from Lord of the Rings trilogy and the world isn’t brimming with elves and dwarves. 

So, how must we see ourselves in the characters, actions, or story events to learn the thematic lesson? 

In some way, we the reader must relate to the characters. Such an occurrence happens on a human and emotional level. We have to feel for the protagonist whether it’s liking or disliking them. As we, the readers, flip the book’s pages, we can see and understand the folly of specific actions and the correctness of others to learn the lesson of certain books while others pass right over our heads. Do you know a possible answer to that question? If not, what lesson have you learned from a book?