Discussion Topic
The central ideas of The Water-Babies by Charles Kingsley
Summary:
The central ideas of The Water-Babies by Charles Kingsley include themes of moral and spiritual growth, redemption, and transformation. The story emphasizes the importance of kindness, cleanliness, and the rejection of prejudice, while also exploring social issues such as child labor and the need for education and reform.
What is the central idea of "The River" in The Water-Babies by Charles Kingsley?
Charles Kingsley's novel The Water-Babies is peppered with songs and poems, some of which are original to the novel. The poem about the river is original (written by Kingsley himself) and actually appears untitled within the story. You can find it near the beginning, as Tom is starting his journey. Outside of the novel, the poem appears under the title "Inland Waters: Highlands Song of the River."
It's a short poem, just three stanzas long. Its central idea is that a river can be symbolic of both cleanliness and filth, and both sin and purity of the soul.
More specifically, a river can be a place for playing, laughing, dreaming, and bathing: a pure place where a mother and child can belong. It can reflect the cleanest, most admirable aspects of the human spirit.
At the same time, a river can be dark, dank, foul, and slimy: a place where...
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a mother and child should naturally feel repulsed. These portions of the river reflect the sinful, unclean aspects of humanity.
The point is that the river is defiled in some places and undefiled in others. It's complex and changing. The same is true of humanity. We're debauched at times, pure at other times.
The author seems to hint that sin and filth are related to greed and the accumulation of money. "Baser and baser the richer I grow," the river says, meaning that it gets more disgusting and unclean as it gets "richer." However, the poem seems to have a hopeful message overall: the first and last stanza are about the purity of the river, while the second stanza is about its filth. This structure allows the poem to end on a pure note. Toward the end of the final stanza, the river cries out this description of itself: "Like a soul that has sinned and is pardoned again."
References
What are the central ideas of The Water-Babies?
The Water-Babies can be described as a Christian moral fable, which is not surprising when one considers that the book was written by a clergyman, Charles Kingsley.
Although the book is described in its full title as a fairy tale, it nonetheless conveys a number of important moral messages. The most important of these is that redemption is still possible, even in the midst of an increasingly materialistic society that has gone seriously astray.
As a humble child chimney-sweep, someone inhabiting the very bottom rung of the Victorian social ladder, Tom has never been taught Christian values. He may live in a Christian society, but as a poor child, he has never really had much contact with Christianity and its teachings and so is sorely in need of redemption.
Such redemption is duly found, thanks to the spiritual guidance of the moral leaders of Brendan's Island, Mrs. Doasyouwouldbedoneby, Mrs. Bedonebyasyoudid, and Mother Carey.
Their earnest moral teachings allow Tom to achieve redemption, to the extent that he's able to help his former boss Grimes get one more chance at leading a good and moral life. For good measure, they also give Tom the opportunity to be someone in life, a great man of science no less.