Posted by Ed Kiser on January 03, 2001 at 19:55:01 from 64.20.230.132:
In Reply to: Re: Coincidences posted by Brad Henry on December 21, 2000 at 04:44:48:
The "coincidence" of their running into Father in Flushing
seemed to serve two purposes:
1. It made possible an expedited return home. The story is
really about the trip out. Once Father joined them, it just
became a matter of tying up loose ends for the story, as the
principal purpose has already been served.
2. Father's presence made possible the culmination of the
true purpose of the entire story, that of John's becoming a
Man. "You'll be a sailor yet, my son," became the Father's
ultimate praise, the "feather in John's cap", the
recognition of the Rites of Passage of John into Manhood.
On the trip out, as the one primarily responsible for their
very lives, John took on a man sized job, and accomplished
it. A lesser boy would have failed; John succeeded. But
being recognized by his Father for that accomplishment made
it "official." John had become a man, and to do so in the
eyes of his Father made it that much better.
WDMTGTS is so unlike the other Ransome stories about these
children. It is portrayed as "reality". The dangers are
real, their struggles to survive are real. There is no made
up childish imagination type adventures here. Even the
rescue of the kitten is a matter of life or death, not
pretend, but real. This story is a situation in which these
children have to use the skills they learned in their
play-time imaginary adventures to solve a real life
threatening problem.
It is this very presence of "reality" that to me would make
this a primary one of these stories to be made into a
meaningful movie. It would certainly be a challenge for the
"special effects" people to portray some of the more
"cliff-edge" moments, but certainly within the range of
possibilities with their ever growing skills in movie
making.