255: Subjectivity

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Subjectivity
Or maybe the slide is like Aslan, and gets taller as I do (except without the feeling of discomfort when I reach my teens and suddenly get the Christ stuff)
Title text: Or maybe the slide is like Aslan, and gets taller as I do (except without the feeling of discomfort when I reach my teens and suddenly get the Christ stuff)

Explanation[edit]

It is a common trope that as a child, objects that an adult would consider small seem large and imposing. Cueball initially seems to have undergone something similar, as he describes a slide from his playground in a manner typical of such an experience. Instead, however, he finds that his initial perception was correct - the slide appeared large because it was actually extremely tall, not because his childhood self exaggerated its height. (As a child, it's roughly nine times his height; as an adult, it's only about triple.)

The title text references Aslan, a lion from The Chronicles of Narnia. In Prince Caspian, the fourth chronological book in the series, Lucy Pevensie tells him that he has grown since she last saw him. Aslan tells her that this is because she has grown; as she grew up, he grew in size to match her. Aslan is often regarded as a Christ figure, but since Narnia is a children's series, many readers don't realize this until long after they've read the books – another instance of how perspective changes with age, and of the comic's title, "subjectivity."

Transcript[edit]

[A tall slide, seen from the ground.]
When I was a kid, my school playground had a really tall slide that always made me nervous.
[A tall slide, seen from the side.]
We moved away, but the slide stuck in my memory, becoming a skyscraping monster.
[A car and a sign pointing to school zone.]
Years later, I was passing through my old town and remembered the playground.
I drove to the school to see the slide that my inner six-year-old thought was so towering.
[A huge slide, Cueball beside it.]
AND IT WAS HUGE!
I KNEW IT!


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Discussion

I did the same thing once when the park was still in existence. The slide was only 12-15' high. That was huge though compared to the "kiddy" slide which was only 6' or so.

Still it was a disappointment. I always remember that thing as being as tall as the trees nearby.

These days you can't even find a slide let alone a tall one. We've lost our adventurous spirit and it starts with the children. Jakee308 (talk) 20:15, 24 April 2015 (UTC)

About the Aslan reference. In one of the later books one of the children meets Aslan and he is bigger than he used to be. Aslan answers that it is because the child himself (or herself) has grown. Any other Narnia nerd out there remembers this or is it just my memory making things up for me? 198.41.241.73 (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)

Narnia nerd here... “Aslan" said Lucy "you're bigger". "That is because you are older, little one" answered he. "Not because you are?" "I am not. But every year you grow, you will find me bigger".” (C.S. Lewis, Prince Caspian) 108.162.219.165 09:28, 1 October 2015 (UTC)

Be bold! You two were free to edit the wiki to expand on the Aslan reference if you wanted, and the page would've been better for it! (Other people can always revert edits if they turn out to be inaccurate.) DownGoer (talk) 04:53, 27 June 2023 (UTC)