The Struggle for Meaning — Bruno Bettelheim
“Today, as in times past, the most important and also the most difficult task in raising a child is helping him to find the meaning in life.” (p. 269)
The meaning in life is not something that can be taught to a child. It is something that they learn on their own throughout time through experiences that they have. To this author, it should be the parent’s job to give their children these experiences so that they can find the meaning in life for themselves. In this particular reading, the author is a therapist of severely disturbed children. Her main goal is to restore the meaning in their lives. He believes that this information is best given to children through literature.
“For a story truly to hold the child’s attention, it must entertain him and arouse his curiosity. But to enrich his life, it must stimulate his imagination; help him to develop his intellect and to clarify his emotions; be attuned to his anxieties and aspirations; give full recognition to his difficulties, while at the same time suggesting solutions to the problems which perturb him.” (p. 270)
Bettelheim thinks that most literature that is written today, and in the past, does not do a good job of catering to a child’s imagination and emotions. Not only does it need to cater to all of these needs in order for a child to truly benefit from the story, but it also needs to entertain them so that they continue reading on. In order for me to finish a book, it has to hook me in. Not only does it have to keep me interested in the story line, but it also has to keep me thinking about what is going to happen next. Bettelheim makes a good point in saying this. Not only will a child learn from the books and tales he reads, but they will also open his imagination and somehow, help him learn more about the meaning in life.
Skylar Nerone 