Immortality in Literature

Immortality is portrayed as an evil thing

“Well, you split your soul, you see…and hide part of it in an object outside the body. Then, even if one’s body is attacked or destroyed, one cannot die, for apart of the soul remains earthbound and undamaged. But of course, existence in such a form…few would want it, Tom, very few. Death would be preferable” (6th book, page 497)

Immortality has been a reoccurring theme in fiction.

There are some different types:

• Completely immune to death by injury, disease, and age
• Can only be killed by other immortal beings
• Just immune to aging
• Undead- people who have died but maintain aspects of life
• Regeneration- can recover quickly

Harry Potter

2 ways to immortality:

• Elixir of Life (Sorcerer's Stone)
• Horcrux (preserving the soul in a different location)

Tuck Everlasting

• Jesse & his family don't have a choice
• Winnie carries the choice to become immortal

Immortality in Literature

Kelley Cavallaro and Jordan Griebner

Themes in different children's books:

Immortality as a choice vs. inevitable

Immortality as good and appealing vs. evil

Immortality for love

"Millions long for immortality who don't know what to do with themselves on a rainy Sunday afternoon" -Susan Ertz

"There was more water in the wood. There was plenty more. Just in case. When she was seventeen. If she should decide, there was more water in the wood" (Tuck Everlasting 132)

Activity in groups

Interview with Natalie Babbitt

Why did you choose to write about the idea of living forever?

"The question of what it might be like to live forever is something that everyone thinks about. And I think you think about it more when you find out you can't do it. It's an idea that's been sitting around in my head for a lot of years. I think we shy away from writing about our own deaths, although we can write about others' deaths. I'm always surprised when people think that Tuck Everlasting is unusual, because I think it's the most usual question there is."

"Heck, we was going to live forever. Can you picture what it felt like to find that out?" (41)

"And we figured it'd be very bad if everyone knowed about that spring"

• What is the first thing you would do if you knew you couldn't die?
• Would you choose to be immortal?
• How would the world be different if you could choose to be immortal?
• With the influx of immortality in literature and media, do you think that kids have begun to think that they are invincible?

Edward: "Is this what you dream about? Being a monster?

Bella: "Mostly I dream about being with you forever"

"Why, she, too, might live forever in this remarkable world she was only just discovering" (45)

Bella: "Do you wish that Carlisle hadn't saved you?"

Edward: "No, I don't wish that. But my life was over. I wasn't giving anything up"

Why is it so popular?!

• It's unknown and unobtainable
• Tension between immortality as an evil, and as an attractive thing.
• Fantasy for children helps imagination
• Our own fear and fascination with death

For future teachers:

Links to greek mythology:

• Death is not an end, it is a beginning
• “ After all, to the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure.” (Harry Potter one)
• Achilles' Heel

Springboard for class discussions and writing prompts

Other TV shows and movies/books about immortality

-Vampire Diaries

-Hocus Pocus

-Heros

-Star Wars

-Pirates of the Caribbean

-Supernatural

-The immortal life of Henrietta Lacks

-Buffy the Vampire Slayer

The Boy Who Couldn’t Die

-True Blood

-Dracula

Twilight

• Edward doesn't have choice
• Carlisle turns him into vampire
• Bella chooses to be immortal, because she loves Edward