Reading Phillip Pulman's His Dark Materials has spurred in me a lot of contemplation concerning the nature of the daemon. My first reaction, when first introduced to the idea, was that the daemon served as an embodiment of the unconscious. This first reaction has since been solidified upon further reading of the novel.
On page 143 there is a passage where Lyra conveys the misery of having your daemon separated from you: “It was such a strange tormenting feeling when your daemon was pulling at the link between you; part physical pain deep in the chest, part intense sadness and love.” This inherent interconnectedness between human and daemon demonstrated in this passage seems consistent as a symbol for the unconscious. Humans are connected to their unconscious in an intimate way. The unconscious influences your every move. But, you are also disconnected from your unconscious. It is part of you, but the vast majority of the time you are unaware of its influence on you. It is this separation, between a being and his or her unconscious, that I think Pullman was trying to convey by embodying the unconscious within another being. Creating a powerful connection – a connection that partly decides the identity of the human, while simultaneously emphasizing the separation by embodying the unconscious within a being unique to the human.
Shortly after the passage cited above, there is a description of Pantalaimon – Lyra's daemon – guiding Lyra toward Iorek Byrnison as he runs away: “She did run, though, and Pantalaimon flew up as a seagull to watch where the bear went and called down to tell her where to follow.” This bear, essential to Lyra in her mission north, is found only with the help of Lyra's daemon. However unaware of our unconscious we remain, it is constantly guiding us in our decisions and life. I think this serves as another parallel between the daemon and unconscious.
In Monday's class, we discussed the reason for the solidification of the daemon's form as the human makes the transition from childhood to adulthood. Some ideas were thrown around, and it was said that this was maybe due to a sexual maturation, an accumulation of experiences, or falling in love with the opposite sex. Granted, I have not finished the novel, but I was unsatisfied with these suggestions. I envisioned the change occurring as a consequence of losing the “willing suspension of disbelief.” As humans grow, there is a transition where we become more skeptical of the world. It is much harder to suspend our disbelief, much less willingly. I think that it is this transition responsible for the daemon's figure, and considering how prevalent this theme is within children's literature, it seems like a plausible suggestion...more on this later.
On page 143 there is a passage where Lyra conveys the misery of having your daemon separated from you: “It was such a strange tormenting feeling when your daemon was pulling at the link between you; part physical pain deep in the chest, part intense sadness and love.” This inherent interconnectedness between human and daemon demonstrated in this passage seems consistent as a symbol for the unconscious. Humans are connected to their unconscious in an intimate way. The unconscious influences your every move. But, you are also disconnected from your unconscious. It is part of you, but the vast majority of the time you are unaware of its influence on you. It is this separation, between a being and his or her unconscious, that I think Pullman was trying to convey by embodying the unconscious within another being. Creating a powerful connection – a connection that partly decides the identity of the human, while simultaneously emphasizing the separation by embodying the unconscious within a being unique to the human.
Shortly after the passage cited above, there is a description of Pantalaimon – Lyra's daemon – guiding Lyra toward Iorek Byrnison as he runs away: “She did run, though, and Pantalaimon flew up as a seagull to watch where the bear went and called down to tell her where to follow.” This bear, essential to Lyra in her mission north, is found only with the help of Lyra's daemon. However unaware of our unconscious we remain, it is constantly guiding us in our decisions and life. I think this serves as another parallel between the daemon and unconscious.
In Monday's class, we discussed the reason for the solidification of the daemon's form as the human makes the transition from childhood to adulthood. Some ideas were thrown around, and it was said that this was maybe due to a sexual maturation, an accumulation of experiences, or falling in love with the opposite sex. Granted, I have not finished the novel, but I was unsatisfied with these suggestions. I envisioned the change occurring as a consequence of losing the “willing suspension of disbelief.” As humans grow, there is a transition where we become more skeptical of the world. It is much harder to suspend our disbelief, much less willingly. I think that it is this transition responsible for the daemon's figure, and considering how prevalent this theme is within children's literature, it seems like a plausible suggestion...more on this later.
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