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By Merlyn, Senior Staff Editor One of the most fascinating aspects of the ‘His Dark Materials’ trilogy is the presence of Dust. From early on in The Golden Compass we see its effects (the reason why the children were being severed was to research Dust). After reading and listening to as many of Pullman’s interviews, as well as making my own judgements, I think that Dust is at the root of the message that Pullman is trying to get across to us, his readers: Life should be lived to its fullest, by doing good and living and loving for others. That is how Dust continues existing, it is fed by human love. Not lust mind you, not the lust and fleeting desires of this world, but a deep, soul love. The love that Will and Lyra tasted at the end was this kind of love. A love that is willing to sacrifice itself for others. It is a humble love, putting the good of others above itself. Lyra and Will knew that if they stayed together that basically all conscience thought would perish into that abyss. So we know that Dust and that deep love are connected, intertwined. But Dust is also conscience thought, “when matter becomes aware of itself”. In the books, Angels are made of Dust, but I think also that it is saying that human beings are made of dust as well. Perhaps not the flesh and bones, but the soul, the daemon, as well as the mind. There has been some argument from those folks who… well, anyway, there are folks who complained that Pullman killed God in The Amber Spyglass. Yet (and this is his argument as well) he didn’t kill Dust. Everything that people have always looked to as God is summed up in the presence of Dust. Pullman has only killed the God of the inquisition, the God that drives man to kill man, the God that is not God, but is human corruption of God. Of course this is all a delicate subject; mankind is divided on its view of God, or even the existence of God, but I think that Pullman leaves Dust open enough that people can see their view of God in it, or if they don’t believe in God or a superior presence, then perhaps they can still accept Dust as the result of conscience thought… but more importantly, conscience love. Return to Commentaries main Return Home |
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