(Book Review) "The Emperor’s New Clothes” by Hans Christian Andersen

1. Introduction          

'The Emperor's New Clothes' is a short story published in 1837 by Danish

 Hans Christian Andersen.

2. Summary 

There was a vain emperor who did not care about state affairs at all. All his attention was showing off his clothes.

One day, two tailors came to him and promised to make up the most beautiful clothes in the world.

The king, unable to resist temptation, readily paid them a large sum of money in advance.

The deceptive scenario of the tailors started. They advertised that they would use exceptional fabrics for the outfit. 

They said that anyone who was 'unfit for the position or hopelessly stupid' couldn't see the cloth.

The king sent his men from time to time to check how they were working on it. In front of the officials, 

the weavers acted as if they were making clothes. They pretended to cut and paste fabrics that were not there.

None of the officials could see the clothes, but they could never report it to the king. 

It is because the moment anyone says that they can't see the clothes, they will be branded as 'unfit for the position or hopelessly stupid.'

Time had passed. At last, the emperor himself stopped by the tailor's workshop. He was embarrassed when he didn't see the clothes.

However, he couldn't say that. If he did, he would become a king 'unfit for the position or hopelessly stupid.'

Finally, the king got the report that the tailors had finished making the clothes. Now is the time for him to march in front of his people.

The deceivers brought the suit with extreme care and dressed the king. Of course, both had pretended because the clothes didn't exist.

The emperor went out on the street. All people came out to see the clothes. But they saw nothing but the naked body of the king, let alone the clothes. 

Nevertheless, no one could speak it out. On the contrary, they cheered, saying that it was the most beautiful dress in the world.

That's when a child suddenly yelled in the crowd. "He doesn't have anything on!"

Thanks to the little boy, the emperor, his officials, and all the people realized the truth. The reason they couldn't see the clothes was just because he didn't have it on!

But the king couldn't stop the march. He, as if nothing had happened, continued to go on his way with his body naked.

3. Lessons 

This short story asks the readers. Can I alone shout for truth when everybody else is silent on lying?

All were trapped in pretense. It was because of the fear of political and social downfall when saying NO.

But the kid was different in terms of being pure. He said just what he saw. That’s it. I hope the child's innocent heart is the heart of Christians. 

Jesus said that the kingdom of heaven belongs to such little children(Matthew 19:14).

Luke 10:23 and verse 24 amaze me in that Jesus has pinpointed the core of this short story.

"Blessed are the eyes that see what you see….For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see but did not see it,"

In the Christian faith, the Bible plays the role of the naive kid.

The crime of King David. He committed adultery with Bathsheba, Uria's wife,  and schemed for Uria to be killed on the battlefield. (2Samuel 11)

The shame of the Apostle Peter. He denied Jesus the Lord as much as three times a night (Luke 22).

The past of Matthew. He proclaimed Jesus as the King of the Jews; however, he used to be a tax collector who the Jews treated as a traitor.

We've learned all this from the Bible. The Bible does not cover up or distort the truth for the sake of any God's person.

Let's put the book aside for a moment and ask ourselves. Are we telling the truth as we see?

I don't mean we should live like an activist. I am suggesting to live with bright eyes and a pure mind like a kid. That's what Jesus wants us to do.

(Book Review) "Strait is the Gate" by Andre Gide

1. Plot 

                

"Strait is the Gate" is a novel published in 1909 by Andre Gide of France.
 
The story began when Jerome was fourteen years old. Alissa was sixteen at the time.  Jerome stayed at his uncle's place every time he was on school holidays. 

One day, he saw his aunt having an affair with a young officer. When Jerome went to Alissa's room, she was weeping with kneeling at the bedside. 

The moment he saw Alissa's face soaked with tears due to her mother's infidelity, he fell in love, along with compassion.

But even before love blossomed, the religious issue of secularity and holiness interrupted the relationship between the two.

It occurred when Jerome and Alissa heard a pastor's sermon on the subject of "Enter through a narrow gate" at the church service.
 
(Matthew 7:13)
"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it."

At the background of the pastor's sermon, there was Puritanism that dominated the society. The religious barrier was too high for the young lovers to breakthrough.

Jerome was pursuing Platonic love. It would've been the way for him to avoid conflict with Puritanism.
 
Alissa was going through a tougher time. Her mother's impure love would have given Alissa a negative image of love. She could neither get near nor stay away from Jerome.

She might have thought that she ought to seek absolute holiness rather than a human emotion that was changeable. 

Of course, Alissa loved Jerome. But she had to choose. "The path you teach us is narrow. Two of us can't walk side by side." 

She finally decided to go on the way of self-denial and temperance.

Alissa got rid of everything that reminded her of Jerome. Alissa got sick from a harsh fight with herself. At last, she faced a lonely death in a nursing home.

2. Lessons 

At the root of this tragedy lies religious legalism. Truth sets us free(John 8:32), but a legal yoke doesn't. 

Puritanism is excellent in terms of living a godly life. But the distorted Puritanism takes away happiness and joy from our lives and instead forces pain and sorrow.

Jesus said to the disciples, "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me." (Luke 9:23)

The self-denial that the Lord said here is not the same as Alissa's rejection of romantic love. 

Jesus encouraged his disciples to follow His way, but Alissa followed the religious holiness instead.

The narrow gate in this novel is different from what Jesus spoke. The narrow gate of Matthew 7:13 leads us to the gate of life that the next verse of 7:14 mentions.
 
"But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."
 
The gate of life is none other than the gate of Jesus. It is a wide gate of grace, but we feel it narrow because it is 'only Jesus'. 

Once we enter the narrow entrance, however, the endless mercy of God welcomes us.

Unlike Alissa's idea, there is no way to be righteous through our religious efforts. That's why Jesus had to die.

It is only self-abuse to reject love and happiness and fall into misery and suffering. That sort of religious holiness is not the way to become a righteous person before God.
 
After reading the book, I asked myself a question to relieve my spiritual thirst. 

If Jerome and Alisa had encountered the grace, not the law, listening to the 'narrow gate' sermon, how would their love have changed?

I hope that Christian readers of this book will be the next main characters of the upcoming love story in their lives.