I’m most of the way through The Golden Compass (for the second time) and I’ve noticed something that I saw on my first reading, but didn’t really catch as being as profoundly important as I’m seeing now.
There is a strong (and I mean STRONG) theme of integrity and honor in this novel. I am finding myself writing sticky note after sticky note marking places where characters behave in ways that impress me as being honest and respectful and honorable. Lord Faa, for example, and in nearly every dealing he has with anyone, is the epitome of integrity; he is honest and forthright, he listens to his people and genuinely considers their points of view (even if he rejects them in the end), and he understands, in a way that impresses me deeply, that one needn’t be deceitful to engage in politics. I love the way he chides those who propose doing things (or not doing things) that go against Faa’s ethics (which, presumably, are the Gyptian’s ethics, too, as Faa is their acknowledged leader); he manages to stomp on the proposals in a way that is both firmly disapproving while still being loving and compassionate, and I really appreciate that.
So, too, do many of the other characters behave. Sarafina Pekkala, Iorek Byrnison, and Lee Scoresby all exude an air of thoughtful, pragmatic honor; they understand things like alliances and commitment, they remember debts owed both to them and by them, and while they temper their decision-making with emotion (none of the characters is without compassion), they recognize at the same time that emotion cannot always be the overriding factor in a situation – they are willing to make heartbreaking choices simply because they are the right thing to do.
I think I’m struck by all this integrity because I’ve been feeling a bit adrift in the world lately and lamenting that good, honorable people are becoming a scarcity in the world. I find myself fearing that the good people’s voices are being drowned out by the fanatics, the power-hungry, and the fearful, so seeing examples of characters who stand up for what’s right just because it’s right is encouraging to me. Too bad it has to happen in the pages of a book…
So! What are YOU noticing as you read?
